Venatori
by The Laughing Phoenix
Summary: Kankuro reached the ravine just a few minutes too late. Now, Team Kurenai works to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.
1. Legacy of the Inuzuka

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Legacy of the Inuzuka

Kankuro moved quickly through the trees, hunting down the source of the explosions he'd seen earlier. With Temari checking on whoever was caught up in the noisy battle in the trees and Gaara – it still felt weird to call him brother, even in his head – sticking to the open, where he was more effective, that left him maneuvering through the forested canyons.

From the corner of his eye, Kankuro saw a smudge of ruddy-brown on the ground. Dropping quickly to land beside it, he identified it as blood, and relatively fresh too. A smug smile curled on his lips. Blood, he could track easily. Tracing the scent to the water, he hesitated only a moment before heading downstream. It'd be the quickest way for an injured shinobi to get away.

At a bend in the river, where the trees grew right down to the water's edge, the smell of fresh blood hit him like a physical blow. Cursing softly under his breath, Kankuro sped up. Having a psychopathic homicidal little brother meant that he'd learned quickly to recognize a recent death from a distance, and this had too many signs to be comforting.

Taking to the trees again, Kankuro quickly found the source of the smell. A freaky-looking sound-nin with two heads was bent over a huddled form on the ground – presumably the shinobi Kankuro had been sent to back up. The sand-nin attacked with all the brutal efficiency of a striking snake. Before the sound-nin had time to do more than yelp in surprise, Kuroari's body had snapped shut around him, and Karasu had been brought into play. It was over in moments.

Enemy disposed of, Kankuro turned to the other shinobi. He was huddled on his side, curled around a bundle…and somehow still breathing. Carefully rolling him on his back, Kankuro was surprised to recognize the kid as the boy with the dog from the Chuunin exam. That meant…Kankuro took another look at what he had thought was a bundle. It was the puppy, and it was obviously dead, if the bloody patches on its fur were anything to go by.

Not that the owner was in much better condition. There were stab marks peppered across the upper chest and shoulders – apparently the kid had been paying more attention to defending his dog than to defending himself. Pulling the kid's mesh shirt carefully away, trying not to aggravate the injuries, he was thoroughly startled when the kid groaned.

"Who..? Suna…"

"Don't talk. I'm part of a team sent as backup. Your enemy is dead." Kankuro pulled some of the bandaging he usually used to wrap up Karasu loose, folding it into a pad and trying to press it gently to the worst of the wounds.

The kid coughed, and bloody spittle ran out of a corner of his mouth. "Mission…complete. Good."

"Quiet down, you're going to make your wound worse." Something about the kid's attitude bugged Kankuro. Granted, he'd tried to avoid getting to know any of the leaf-nin well, but something in the way the kid spoke, the utter _acceptance_, sounded completely unlike everything he'd ever heard from a shinobi of Konoha.

"Dun matter," the kid drew a rattling breath, and more blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. "'M Inuzuka…can smell…" another wet cough cut him off.

"Stop that." This was hardly the first time a comrade lay dying under Kankuro's hands. However, this was an ally, from a village Suna was on shaky ground with, and he was not going to let anything happen to jeopardize that alliance!

"Tell Hina…'n Shino…'m sorry." The kid's eyes fluttered closed, and a heartbeat later, his chest fell, and did not rise again.

"_Shit!_" Kankuro quickly began trying to revive the boy, using every trick he knew. "Don't you dare, Inuzuka, don't you dare!"

He was still trying to revive the leaf-nin when the medics appeared five minutes later.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kankuro spent the time waiting for the debriefing half terrified out of his mind. The alliance with Konoha was still too new, too fragile, and if it was broken because he was late…well, he was under no illusions. Gaara felt like he owed a debt to this place, so he'd probably be dead before the day was out. Partly to distract himself, he began trying to predict what would happen. Perhaps a desert burial? Or maybe that'd be too quick.

When the Godaime Hokage finally managed to meet with the trio of sand-nin, looking tired and almost pinched, Kankuro kept wanting to fidget. Once Gaara and Temari had given their reports, she turned to him.

Briefly Kankuro detailed how he'd tracked the two to the little canyon, and confirmed the death of the sound-nin. Hesitating slightly, he went on. "Inuzuka was still alive when I got to him. The dog was dead, but he was still breathing. I tried patching him up but…"

A knowing look crossed the Hokage's deceptively young face. "The team who retrieved you both tells me that you were trying to revive Inuzuka Kiba when they got there."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kankuro deliberately ignored the turn of Gaara's head and the slight widening of Temari's eyes. For a family as inexpressive as theirs, those slight gestures were practically tantamount to shouting.

The Hokage smiled sadly. "Konoha thanks you for your efforts, Sabaku no Kankuro," ignoring the slightly startled looks from the three sand-nin in front of her, she leaned back in her chair, sighing. "Now I'm going to have to tell his family," a grimace flitted across her face. "And his team."

Kankuro surprised even himself when he spoke. "Uh…Hokage-sama?"

"Hm?"

"Would…would it be all right if I was there when you told his team? Inu- _Kiba_ asked me to tell them something, and…" he trailed off, feeling the flush under his paint.

Another sad smile crossed the Hokage's face. "Very well. I've sent messengers to collect his teammates and sensei. We'll meet them at the morgue."

Still feeling dazed, Kankuro and his siblings followed the Godaime out of the tower and to the morgue. It was behind the hospital, a simple, unassuming building with an open courtyard in front of it. They filed silently after her as she opened the door to one of the rooms, where Kiba's body lay on a gurney, covered by a sheet.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hinata met up with Kurenai-sensei and Shino out in front of the Hokage tower. "Have you h-heard what the Hokage wants?" she asked softly, as their escort led them, not into the tower, but towards the hospital.

"I had heard that there was a large-group mission involving members of our graduation class, including Kiba," Shino said softly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "As Kiba is not with us, presumably this is about his mission."

The first hint they got that something was seriously wrong was when they were led around the hospital. As the building they were heading to came into view, Kurenai's face paled, and her stride faltered.

"Sensei?" Hinata asked, looking up at the older woman's face.

"It's – It's nothing, Hinata," Kurenai's smile was obviously forced. Disbelieving, Hinata gently touched her sensei's hand, while Shino moved to stand at her side, silently offering support.

They were led through the building into one of the front rooms. Bowing to the Hokage, Hinata saw a gurney covered by a white sheet out of the corner of her eye. Pieces began to fall into place with a horrible certainty. "No," she whispered.

"Earlier today," the Hokage began, voice sympathetic, "Inuzuka Kiba and his companion Akamaru were killed in the line of duty."

"May," Kurenai-sensei's voice failed her, and she had to start again. "May we know the mission?"

The Hokage grimaced. "His team was sent to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke, who recently defected to follow Orochimaru."

"If Kiba was sent on such a mission," Shino began, voice thick, "then it logically follows that other friends of ours were too. May we know their statuses?"

"Nara Shikamaru was only mildly injured, thanks to the intervention of Sabaku no Temari. Akimichi Chouji and Hyuuga Neji are in serious condition, but stable and slated to make a full recovery. Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee are being held for observation, but should be fully recovered in a few days. Kiba was the only fatality"

Hinata let out a breath she couldn't remember holding. "Nii-san's alright." She whispered. "May," she nearly lost her nerve when the Hokage turned her gaze on her. "May we see him? Kiba-kun?"

The Hokage hesitated for a minute, then led them to the gurney. With gentle hands, she turned down the sheet, revealing Kiba's face. The remains of his team moved up close to the gurney; Shino at Kiba's head, Hinata at his shoulder, hands grasping the railing of the gurney, and Kurenai beside her.

Wetting his lips nervously, Kankuro stepped forward. "I'm, I'm so sorry." His voice nearly failed as the teacher's red eyes fell on him. "Kiba was still alive when I got there. I tried t'stop the bleeding, but…but I was too late." Taking a nervous breath, Kankuro continued. "He gave me a message to pass on, just before he died. He said, 'Tell Hina and Shino I'm sorry.'"

The metal rail snapped with a _crack_ under the tiny Hyuuga's hands. Shino spoke, his voice thick and shaking with repressed emotion. "Kiba, you idiot. Never apologize." His head snapped up sharply, and he turned hastily and bowed to the group. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama." The normally stoic and calm Aburame tore out of the room like his life depended on it.

Hinata reached out slowly, and gently brushed Kiba's hair from his forehead, uncaring of the blood welling from the deep scratches across her palms. "Goodbye, Kiba-kun," she whispered. She turned, bowed once to the Hokage, and then, to Kankuro's complete shock, to him. "Thank you," she said softly. Turning, she touched her teacher's forearm gently. "I'm going to go check on Shino-kun."

With that, Hinata left the room, pale as a ghost, moving with all the grace that had been drilled into her by her family for her entire life.

Shortly after that, the siblings took their leave, and hurried out of the village. It wasn't until they stopped to make camp for the night that either of Kankuro's siblings spoke to him about his earlier actions.

"So," Temari began, "you tried to keep the Inuzuka kid alive?"

"Well, yeah," Kankuro said defensively. "The alliance with Konoha's tenuous enough as it is, and I wasn't gonna to risk it falling apart if he died."

"You wanted to speak to his team," Gaara's soft voice cut in, a slight wonder audible beneath the apparent indifference. "You stayed to pass on his last words."

Kankuro really couldn't explain that one. "It – it just seemed like a thing I had to do."

A slight smile lifted the corners of Temari's and Gaara's mouths, and Kankuro calmed down. They understood what he'd meant, and, most importantly, agreed.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shino felt his control slipping as he tore across Konoha, headed to Team 8's usual training ground. He just barely made it in time, and stumbled to his knees as his hive poured from underneath his skin. He knelt, just trying to breathe, in the center of the clearing while his insects swarmed in response to his pain and rage, destroying everything in their path.

He had once told Hinata and Kiba that, if he started losing his temper, they needed to give him space. Emotional control was a must for the Aburame, he had said. The kikai respond to emotions, especially hate and pain, and as the Aburame had been breeding them for generations to be tough and powerful they were incredibly dangerous when they swarmed. The memory filtered through to him, of Hinata listening intently, sitting formally with her hands on her knees while Kiba sprawled next to them, rubbing Akamaru's belly but listening all the same.

As the immediate impact of his teammate's death began to wear off the swarm began to calm, his insects returning in small groups to their rightful place within him. Once only a few dozen bugs were left, moving slowly around the trees, Shino became aware of his remaining teammate approaching him.

Hinata had taken the time while Shino calmed down to dress her hands, and strips of white bandaging wound across her palms. She sat down next to Shino, and said nothing for a few moments, taking in the devastation her teammate had wrought.

Her target pads had been shredded, what remained hanging limply from the ropes that held them on the trees. Swaths of grass were missing, as were a number of branches. The trees closest were missing patches of bark and even chunks of wood. A fine dusting of sawdust covered the ground at the edge of the clearing.

Now that Shino was of sounder mind, Hinata allowed her Hyuuga composure to fall away. "He's gone," she whispered. She didn't even notice the tears falling down her face until Shino's arm slipped across her shoulder, turning her so she could bury her face in his jacket. Hinata held onto the cloth tightly as she let herself cry for the cheerful, loyal boy she would never go on a mission with again.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Once both of them had calmed down enough to talk, they began to go over the circumstances of their teammate's death. They quickly came to a conclusion: had Uchiha Sasuke not defected, placing himself above the village, then Kiba would still be alive.

"Uchiha Sasuke is a traitor to the village," Shino said softly, voice full of a certain satisfied anger. "He also possesses the Sharingan, a valuable asset of the village. Logically, he cannot be allowed to remain outside of the village. Should he be encountered on a mission, it is probable that he can be killed on sight."

"We'll need to get stronger, though," Hinata murmured. "Uchiha was top of our year at the Academy, and improved dramatically between then and the Chuunin exams. If he has gone to Orochimaru for training, then we can expect him to become more powerful still."

Shino was beginning to get an idea. "There is a way to ensure that we gain that strength and ensure a chance at dealing with Uchiha."

Hinata quickly followed the thought to its logical conclusion. "The hunter-nin?"

"We'll have to speak with Kurenai-sensei, but I cannot foresee any major objections."

"Nor can I," Hinata sounded more confident, now. "We have been trained as trackers and scouts. In future, we might have been a tracking and assassination squad. And our abilities are almost perfect to dispose of a body."

"Then it is decided."

The next day, Kurenai opened the door to her house to find both her remaining students standing outside. "Sensei," Shino began, "May we ask you some questions?"

Thinking that the pair needed reassurance and further information as to the fate of their team, Kurenai quickly invited them inside and got all three of them tea.

"When will Kiba's funeral be?" Hinata asked softly.

Kurenai sighed. "Tomorrow morning. The Inuzuka will be burying Kiba and Akamaru with the rest of their clan. His name is to be added to the memorial stone today."

Shino nodded. "And," he sounded almost hesitant, "what will become of Team 8?"

"We've been given a week's compassionate leave. That's about the time Lee, Naruto, and Shikamaru should need to be cleared for full duty, and Chouji and Neji for light tasks. At the end of that time, Teams 7, 8, and 10 are to meet in the Hokage's office for evaluation, and possible reassignment."

"About that, sensei," Hinata began, exchanging a look with Shino. "We were wondering. How does one become a hunter-nin?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Two days after the Retrieval team had returned, Sakura was sitting with Naruto in his hospital room, talking to him. A knock on the door interrupted her retelling of how Ino had smacked Shikamaru for worrying her, and Hinata and Shino entered the room, dressed entirely in black.

"Hey, Shino, Hinata!" Naruto's hailed them loudly. "How've you been doing? What's with the black?"

A horrible feeling began to coil in Sakura's gut. She'd forgotten about Kiba, and apparently no one had told Naruto.

"You haven't heard?" Shino's voice was quiet, but somehow dangerous. Something in his tone made Naruto calm down, suddenly looking wary.

"Heard what?"

"Kiba-kun…died, on the mission." Hinata said softly. "We just came from his funeral."

Naruto's jaw dropped, and he looked pole-axed. "I, I had no idea," he murmured.

"Ino-san, Shikamaru-san, and Tenten-san attended as well," Shino continued, still sounding dangerous. "I believe they are visiting their teammates."

"It's good that we caught you both together," Hinata said quickly, in a move that Sakura recognized as meant to remind Shino that they had a reason for visiting. "We have come to speak to you about the Uchiha."

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, the horrible feeling growing.

"What about the teme?"

"Uchiha Sasuke has betrayed the village and by his actions caused the death of a loyal member of Konoha's forces." Shino's voice was clipped. "Therefore, should we find him, we shall take appropriate steps to rectify his behavior."

"You'll help bring him back?" Naruto's face lit up. "Sweet! You guys are awesome, I knew I-"

"You misunderstand, Naruto-san." Shino's voice became grim. "We do not plan to bring him back, unless he requests it himself."

"Then wha-"

"We plan to kill him."

"No!" the words burst out before Sakura could stop them. "No, you can't, Sasuke-kun didn't mean-"

"Didn't mean what, Haruno-san?" Hinata's voice was as sharp as a razor, and Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the girl in front of her. "Didn't mean to become as much of a traitor as his older brother? Didn't mean to be so careless of the lives of his comrades that he caused the death of the son of the head of the Inuzuka clan?" Hinata's pale eyes bored into Sakura disconcertingly, and the girl was suddenly forced to recognize something. Despite Hinata's shyness, despite her gentle nature and reluctance to cause harm, the younger girl was pure Hyuuga, from her proud posture to disconcerting expression, which stripped Sakura's flesh from her bones and found her lacking.

Hinata shook her head, then continued. "Uchiha is a traitor. There is only one way to deal with traitors." She gave a short, curt bow, then turned. "Good day, Haruno-san, Naruto-san."

Shino got in the last word. "As you were his teammates, you deserve to know. Regardless of your wishes on the matter, should Hinata or I get the chance, we will kill Uchiha Sasuke." Bowing in the same way his teammate had, he followed her out.

Sakura sat, stunned. She had never imagined this could happen. She was pulled from her shock by Naruto's voice.

"Can you believe that, Sakura-chan? They're not really gonna try and kill Sasuke-teme, are they?"

"I-I think they meant it, Naruto."

Sakura's feelings of shock and disbelief were not helped when she later related the conversation to Ino. Ino listened quietly, then took a minute to think about it.

"I think they meant every word of it, Forehead-girl."

"But, but that's just it!" Sakura burst out. "They can't kill Sasuke-kun, they can't! And Hinata's never been like that!"

Ino shook her head slowly as she assembled a vase of flowers. "Take a minute to think, Sakura. Use the brain that's supposedly behind that forehead. Their teammate's dead. You weren't at Kiba's funeral, so you didn't see them, but even though they can be the least expressive people around you could tell they were hurting." She examined a flower, rejected it, and reached for another one. "And as for Hinata, she's been shy and all, yeah, and she's so kind it's almost painful, but she's been taught how to be a Hyuuga her entire life, you know, the attitude, the formal way of addressing people even when putting them down. I think she's just now decided to start using those lessons."

"It's still not a good thing," Sakura insisted. "Whatever they're planning, it's not a good idea. If Sasuke gets killed, what happens to the Uchiha?"

Ino lost her temper. "For the love of-! Sakura, after the funeral, Shika, Chouji, and I talked about it. And if it had been one of the boys who died, I'd feel exactly the same way Hinata and Shino feel now. Chouji almost did die!" She rounded on the pink-haired girl, eyes blazing. "The Uchiha bloodline isn't worth forgiving a traitor."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Eight days after the Uchiha Retrieval Mission ended in failure, four jounin met in the Hokage's office. All of them looked a little the worse for wear: Hatake Kakashi looked tired, older, while Yuuhi Kurenai obviously hadn't been sleeping well either. Sarutobi Asuma stood solemnly, for once without a cigarette, and even Maito Gai was subdued.

"Right," Tsunade sighed, folding her hands in front of her. "You all know why we're here, so let's get down to business. Uchiha Sasuke has made his intentions pretty clear. As a traitor, I put him in the Bingo Book as a B-class threat."

Kakashi raised a hand to get Tsunade's attention. "Hokage-sama, doesn't that seem a little excessive?"

Tsunade glared at him, not at all amused by the interruption. "His defection resulted in the death of a comrade, Hatake, the law requires me to put him in the Bingo Book. I put him as B-class because he is probably going to be in the constant company of Orochimaru. I can't imagine he'll let his chosen body wander very far, after all the trouble he went through to get the boy."

"Now," she turned to Asuma and Gai. "Both of your teams should be ready for the usual level of activity within the next few days. Gai, try to keep your insane training to a minimum for another week or so, until we have the chance to evaluate Lee and Neji once again and make sure they can take the strain."

"As for teams 7 and 8, Jiraiya has asked leave to take Naruto on a long-term training trip in response to a number of outside threats. He said something about the gaki being his apprentice. They'll likely be gone for a couple of years."

"So Sakura's going to join Hinata and Shino's team?" Asuma asked.

"Actually, no. Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata have decided to pursue a specialized career path. For the moment, they shall operate in a three-man cell with Kurenai, until the specialists in question decide they're worth accepting as apprentices. Haruno Sakura, meanwhile, approached me earlier this week about studying as a medic-nin. The girl's got excellent chakra control, I'm highly tempted to take her on as an apprentice of my own."

"Kakashi, you'll be taking on jounin missions again. The village needs every high-earning mission we can afford to take," Tsunade sighed, and rubbed her temples with her fingers. "Come talk to me later if you have any more questions. Dismissed." Once the jounin had filed out, Tsunade reached into one of the drawers of the desk and pulled out a bottle of sake.

The jounin, meanwhile, were making their way out of the tower in a group. "So, Kurenai," Kakashi began, "What are your kids looking to do?"

"Honestly, Hatake-san?" Asuma and Gai flinched. That was new. "It's none of your business." They reached the door, and Kurenai nodded once to the group before peeling off and heading back towards her house, calling a goodnight over her shoulder.

* * *

A/N: So…whatcha think? The plot bunny for this hit me at the worst possible time (during breakfast on my last day of classes fall semester, when I really needed to be worrying about the two formal lab reports due that afternoon). I spent my last Art History lecture somehow writing out an outline for this and taking notes simultaneously, then managed to put it on hold until the end of exams.

Review, and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism preferred, all flames will be used to fan my own.

Thanks to my baby sister and beta, **Pyrozia** for her work.

Next chapter: Laying the Foundation.


	2. Laying the Foundation

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Laying the Foundation

Armed with a box of dango, Kurenai approached a training ground usually reserved for upper-level shinobi, hunting for one Mitarashi Anko. She'd planned this meeting out in advance, finding out when and where Anko was training (or reducing trainees to gibbering messes, take your pick) that week, and picking up a little something to facilitate the conversation. She wanted to help her two remaining students reach their new goal, but, having only just made jounin and only ever acting as a general shinobi or sensei, she didn't really know what steps they would have to take to get there.

Hence, Anko. Thanks in part to Anko's traitorous bastard of a sensei, she'd been involved in one capacity or another with most of the branches that made up Konoha's special ops. If anyone knew what Shino and Hinata could do to start working toward their goal, it would be her.

"Nai-chan!" despite all her training, Kurenai very nearly dropped the box of dango as arms wrapped around her from behind. "So nice of you to come visit! Tell me, is that what I think it is?"

Kurenai couldn't help but laugh softly. Typical Anko. "Hello to you too, Anko," she passed the box over her shoulder. "Here, help yourself."

Not needing any further encouragement, Anko tore open the box and cheerfully pulled out a stick of dango. Shoving it in her mouth, she devoured the entire skewer at top speed. "So," she said around the stick, reaching into the box for a second helping, "What can I do for ya, Nai-chan?"

Kurenai sighed, letting her shoulders drop. "It's about my team," she said softly. "I trust you heard about Kiba?"

The grin melted off of Anko's face. "I did."

"Well, Hinata and Shino talked it over, and they decided that they wanted to simultaneously improve their strength and put themselves in a position to take revenge." Kurenai watched as Anko's face became guarded. As a trusted member of Torture and Interrogation, Anko was used to looking for warning flags, little signs that suggested a shinobi's loyalties were about to shift. "They want to join the hunter-nin."

Anko whistled. "Aim high, don't they?"

Kurenai nodded. "They asked me what to do to improve their chances. Given that I really don't know all that much about the hunter-nin, I came to you."

"Mmmm…" Anko chewed on a wooden skewer, considering. "Well, there's the obvious. Up their stealth and speed training, and make 'em good enough to track anything. Broaden their skill set too. The hunter-nin know more about the human body than anyone outside the med-nin. That should be enough to start."

"Thank you, Anko. I owe you one."

"Eh, just bring me another one of these," she waved the now-empty box of dango, "and we'll call it even." Anko paused, dropping her joking smile, to look Kurenai in the eyes. "Nai-chan, do you really think they're cut out for it?"

Kurenai shrugged. "Honestly, I think it'll do them some good. Shino would probably have gone the hunter-nin route anyway, and as for Hinata," her face darkened. "The farther she can get from under her father's thumb, the better."

"How d'ya mean?"

"The first time I met Hinata was when I was hired to escort her to and from the Academy," Kurenai said frankly. "Hiashi essentially told me that she was a failure as a clan heir and that he was sending her to the Academy 'in hope that the village might get some use out of her'." She imitated the Hyuuga's stuffy tone. "Hinata was right outside the door, she could hear everything, and he didn't care. Since I've worked with Hinata, and seen how well she responds to a little praise, I'm half convinced that she's been put down and belittled for most of her life."

Anko grimaced. "I knew I didn't like the puffed-up jerk."

"It hurts to admit it, but Kiba's death has been like a catalyst. They're pushing themselves to exhaustion developing what skills they already have, and if they can maintain their work ethic, I can see them making full jounin by seventeen. They want to join the hunter-nin, I'm willing to help them get there."

"Hmmmm…" Anko hummed under her breath. "Hey, Nai-chan, do you mind if I sit in on one of your trainings? I'd like to see what your brats are made of."

Surprised, Kurenai agreed almost instantly.

"And as for you," Anko continued, an unholy grin starting to curl across her face, "I'll bet you haven't really unwound since Kiba's death, have you?" At the sudden worry in Kurenai's eyes, the grin broadened. "C'mon, I'm treating you to a girl's night out! Hey, maybe we can grab Yuugao, make an occasion of it!" Cheerfully looping an arm through Kurenai's Anko dragged the other woman out of the training grounds, headed for the village and a bar.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Anko sat in a tree at the edge of the clearing Team Kurenai was training in, evaluating the genin as they sparred. She had to admit, she was fairly impressed. They'd come a long way from the Chuunin exam about two months before. The Aburame boy was relying on his bugs less and taking on a more active role, instead of standing back as he had done in the prelims. The little Hyuuga seemed to have added other taijutsu styles to her Jyuuken, and looked a lot more comfortable in her own body. If they kept improving at this rate, they might make their goal.

Once Kurenai had dismissed the two for the day, Anko dropped from her tree to land at her friend's side. "I'll admit, Nai-chan, I think you're right. Those kids are going to be a force to be reckoned with if they can keep it up."

Kurenai smiled. "I hope so. They keep surprising me at every turn. Hinata had a truly interesting idea today." Mischief shone in her eyes as she glanced at the snake kunoichi. "She suggested using the Tora mission as a measure of their skill."

"Oh?" Anko was intrigued. The infamous Tora mission was the bane of the shinobi forces, and was traditionally left to the rawest genin, as they were the bottom of the pecking order. If the kids had figured out how to get some use out of catching a truly cantankerous cat…

"Yep. She said that they could hunt Tora two or three times a week, and time themselves. The goal would be to reduce the time it takes as much as possible. They're actually going to start today. Shino tagged the cat earlier, and he wants to remove his female so that they have less of an advantage."

Anko considered that a moment. "Not a bad idea," she admitted. "It'll do for a start, anyway. Hey, Nai-chan," she changed the subject quickly. "Would you mind if I helped train them occasionally? Not anything much," she said hurriedly, hoping to get her idea out without offending one of the few female friends she had, "just some techniques every so often, suggestions for what they need to work on, stuff like that?"

Kurenai sighed. "I hoped you would," she said softly. "I'm a genjutsu specialist, but I've only really ever handled things like escorts or straight combat. I'm not a hunter."

Anko grinned. "Sweet! I like your kids. So I was thinking, maybe I could start them off with some basic poisons and antidotes later this week."

The older kunoichi threw an amused glance at the energetic snake mistress bouncing along next to her. "Are you sure you never want to take on a genin team, Anko?"

"Naaaah. And handle snotty little brats? I'd rather get them once they've got a bit of a spine and some real skills."

A few days later, Hinata and Shino showed up at the training ground to find the proctor from the second part of the Chuunin Exam waiting for them with Kurenai-sensei. Adjusting his sunglasses to cover his surprise, Shino mentally listed everything he knew about her.

_Mitarashi Anko, Special Jounin, works in Special Ops, perhaps Torture and Interrogation. Proctors the Chuunin exams. Energetic, bloodthirsty, seemingly impetuous and fond of making a scene. Possibly victim of experimentation by Orochimaru, as she has a marking on the back of her neck similar to that of Uchiha Sasuke, who defected to the Snake. Also rather fond of dango._

"Good morning Kurenai-sensei, Mitarashi-san." Hinata greeted the older women, polite as always. Shino bowed his head to the two.

"Good morning Hinata, Shino," Kurenai nodded to them. "You obviously remember Anko from the Chuunin Exam. She's a friend of mine, and she's taken an interest in your goal of joining the hunter-nin. She's offered to teach you some basic poisons and antidotes."

Hinata's face lit up. She had been making ointments and salves for years, and found the process of mixing different plants and herbs together into something functional soothing. It helped that it was something she was naturally good at.

"Thank you, Mitarashi-san," Shino said, bowing formally.

"Eh, Kurenai's said you've got potential, and I don't mind teaching. But stop calling me 'Mitarashi-san', you're making me feel old!"

"Then perhaps Anko-sensei would be more appropriate?"

"Anko-sensei…" Anko turned the thought over in her mind, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Eh, still missing something."

Shino frowned slightly. "Anko-senpai?" he suggested.

Anko's face lit up with another of her evil grins. "Anko-senpai, I like it!"

The day was spent in comparison of different types of toxins, both plant and animal-derived. Anko expounded on varying toxins, from neurotoxins ("good for paralysis, but they can be tricky. If you're not careful with the dose, you'll stop the heart) to corrosives ("T & I loves these. Lots of pain, little chance of lethality"). Shino proved fairly knowledgeable about sources of poisons, particularly poisonous insects, which surprised nobody. It was Hinata, however, who displayed an almost instinctive knowledge of how toxins worked, what combinations proved more lethal than others, and how to counteract them.

Anko was quickly added to the rhythm of training Team Kurenai was developing. Every week or so, workload permitting, she could be found teaching the pair poisons and antidotes. The lessons quickly moved from the theoretical to the practical, and before long the pair was capable of making and countering a dozen or so basic poisons.

Hinata, who had free access to Clan Hyuuga's stillroom and stores of herbs, quickly put the lessons to use, making jars of mild paralytics and other toxins to dip weapons in. She roped Shino into taking an afternoon to help her rearrange the room, so that the higher shelves were open for her poisons, where they would hopefully be out of the immediate reach of careless clan members.

Hiashi learned about these lessons about five weeks after they began, when one of the shinobi members of the clan reported to the clan medics with an unresponsive leg and hand. The clan members had grown used to availing themselves of Hinata's salves and treatments for injuries, and, in a hurry to meet his team, the chuunin had grabbed what he thought was a jar of ointment, but was actually a paralytic. Rubbing the concoction into a pulled muscle, he was unpleasantly surprised when his lower leg and hand seized and refused to respond. His teammates helped him to a clan medic, who needed only a cursory examination of the supposed salve to realize what had happened.

Unsure exactly what the active agents were, and unwilling to risk a bad reaction, they requested Hinata. When the message reached her, she was sitting at the edge of a courtyard, watching her father and cousin spar.

Supposing the message for him, Hiashi called the spar to a halt, only to be surprised when the messenger, an apprentice of one of the medics, bypassed him for Hinata. "Hinata-sama! Haru-san sends his regards and would be much obliged if you would come to the infirmary."

"Daisuke-san? What happened?" Hinata worriedly stood, and beckoned him to follow her as she crossed the courtyard. "Excuse me Father, Neji-niisan."

"Ko-san was training and pulled a muscle. He used what he thought was one of Hinata-sama's ointments on it, and his leg seized. His hand did the same." Daisuke spoke rapidly, watching the head of the clan out of the corner of his eye. "Haru-san realized that Ko-san unintentionally used a paralytic, but was unsure of the active agent. He wishes for the expertise of the maker in treatment."

"I see," Hinata sped up. "Daisuke-san, do you have the jar it was in?"

"Hai!" Reaching into his pocket, the apprentice pulled out a small wooden jar and passed it to her. She examined it quickly and sighed in relief.

"Daisuke-san, please accompany me to the stillroom. I have an antidote to this stored there." Changing course, Hinata was about to leave the courtyard when her father's voice stopped her.

"Hinata."

"Yes, Father?"

Neji, who had been taking advantage of the interruption to get a drink of water, did a double-take. That could not have been Hinata. Hinata was always quiet and submissive when speaking to her father, as though trying to stay out of the way so she could avoid his displeasure. Hinata's voice now was calm and polite, but you didn't have to be Hyuuga to hear the distraction and mild – was that _impatience?_ – in her tone.

If Hiashi registered the change in attitude, he did not let it show. "Once you are done with this, you will report to me. I expect full details as to why Haru-san believes you to have been making such things."

Hinata bowed her head. "Yes, Father." Turning, she hurried out of the courtyard and to the stillroom. Daisuke, scrambling to keep up, caught a glance at her face. It would have been impossible to see for any non-Hyuuga, but the set of Hinata's jaw spoke of impatience and anger. Gulping slightly, the medic's apprentice looked away.

Hinata easily located the antidote to the toxin Ko had accidentally used, and brought it with her to the infirmary. From there it was a simple matter of cleaning off the affected areas one last time and applying the cure. Hinata sat with Ko as the medics massaged the antidote into the muscles, answering the questions Haru put to her and smiling slightly as motion was successfully restored. Finally, the medic pronounced Ko fit for duty again pending a night's rest, and gave him a lecture on being careful in the stillroom.

"You are very lucky that you only picked up a mild paralytic, Ko. Had you taken something more potent you would not be coming out of this unscathed. You would do well to remember that many things are prepared and stored in the stillroom, not just healing salves, and pay better attention to what you select."

Flushing slightly, Ko bowed his head in acknowledgement of the scolding. As Hinata got up to leave, he turned to her and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Hinata-sama," he said softly.

Feeling unusually buoyant, Hinata made her way back across the compound. When asked, one of the branch house members doing chores told her that she would find her father in his study. Hinata knocked gently on the door, and entered on her father's command. As custom dictated, she bowed once at the door, then sat quietly on the cushion in front of her father's table.

Hiashi, meanwhile, took advantage of the papers in front of him to covertly observe his daughter. Hinata looked calmer and more confident than she had in years, but her failure to master her expression was disappointing. After a few minutes, he decided that he had kept her waiting long enough, and pushed the papers to one side.

"Hinata."

"Yes, father."

"You will tell me how Ko ended up in the infirmary with a paralyzed leg and hand, and why Haru-san called you in to assist," he slightly emphasized the word, the Hyuuga equivalent to a disbelieving sneer, "with treatment."

Hinata bowed her head, gathering her thoughts. "I-I have been learning the art of poisons and antidotes," she began. "I was practicing making a paralytic and its antidote yesterday, and put the completed products on the top shelf of the stillroom, with the rest of m-my toxins. Ko mistook the paralytic for healing salve, and had already applied some to his leg before the confusion was discovered." After a brief hesitation, Hinata continued. "Haru-san recognized the mistake, and ch-chose to summon m-me for the antidote. Treatment was successful, and Ko should be b-back to full strength to-tomorrow."

Hiashi gave an internal sigh. The stutter was back. Speech impediments, however, were a lesser concern. "And from whom have you been learning this 'art'? I was not aware that poisons were part of Yuuhi-san's expertise."

Hinata managed not to flinch. "That is c-correct, Father. Kurenai-sensei asked a f-friend of hers to instruct us as a favor."

"This instruction is being given to your entire team?" Hiashi wasn't terribly pleased with this development. Technically speaking, he could not interfere with the lessons his daughter learned from her jounin-sensei. That did not mean he had to like it. Hinata's facility with the Jyuuken was an embarrassment, but for his eldest to study other things was not good for the Clan's reputation. "And who is this 'friend' of Yuuhi-san who was willing to instruct you in poisons?" A slight pause in front of the last word indicated an insult.

"Yes, Father, both Shino and I are learning to make poisons and antidotes," Hinata managed to rally herself. It appeared that the implied reference to her dead teammate had touched a nerve. Interesting. "A-and our t-teacher is Mitarashi Anko-san."

_Mitarashi Anko-san_. The student of Orochimaru, one of the greatest traitors ever to come from Konoha, second only to Uchiha Madara during the time of the Shodaime, was teaching a member of his clan. That was unacceptable. (Hiashi completely disregarded the fact that Anko had turned on her sensei the moment his treachery became apparent, that she had willingly, eagerly assisted in digging out the traitor's secrets, that her loyalty to the village had never wavered.)

"Hinata, you will cease contact with Mitarashi Anko. You will destroy the poisons you have created, leaving only the antidotes. You will not engage in such _foolish, disgraceful_ behavior again while you remain under this roof. Am I clear?"

For a moment, Hinata looked like he'd slapped her. Then she bowed her head silently, and clawed the Hyuuga mask back into place. Taking her silence as assent, Hiashi dismissed her. "Return to your quarters. Do not leave them again tonight."

In silence, Hinata left.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Two days later, Anko arrived at the training field Team Kurenai usually worked at for their scheduled lesson to find all three of its members waiting for her. Kurenai and Shino looked calm, but they kept casting glances at Hinata, who was visibly troubled.

"Hey, my kohai!" Anko called cheerfully. "What're we doing today, then?"

"Anko-senpai," Hinata began, "There has been a complication."

Anko raised an eyebrow. Complication?

"Yesterday, my father learned of these lessons when one of my clansmen poisoned himself by mistake." At Shino and Kurenai's sudden start, she hastened on. "Ko-san confused a jar of mild paralytic for healing salve, and accidentally paralyzed his leg and hand. The clan medic confirmed that the paralytic was mine, and asked me for the antidote. Unfortunately," she drew a deep breath, "my father was there when the request was made. The antidote was successfully administered, and Ko-san returned to his duties today."

Anko felt oddly proud. Her little kohai had done well, creating both a toxin and fully functional antidote. "There's more, isn't there, Hina-chan."

Hinata bit her lip. "My father was…displeased. I think he believes such things as below the Hyuuga, especially the main branch." Bitterness crept into her words. "He asked me who my teacher was, and when I told him, informed me that I was to cease contact with Anko-senpai, destroy my poisons, and to never again engage in 'such foolish, disgraceful behavior' under his roof."

Anko observed the little Hyuuga for a minute, watching her teammate and teacher out of the corner of her eye. Kurenai's entire body tensed, like she was ready for a fight. The Aburame boy was visibly scowling, and she'd be stunned if his hands weren't clenched into fists in his pockets. Hinata was looking at her hands, shoulders slumped.

"So that's it, is it?" Anko asked softly. "You want to stop learning from me?"

"NO!" Hinata's outburst startled even her. "No," she said again, "I don't want to stop. I like learning from Anko-senpai, and I like making poisons and antidotes. I just," her shoulders drooped. "I just wanted everyone to know what was – what was going on."

"So you're gonna disobey your daddy?" Anko prodded. She was reasonably sure she knew where this was going, but she wanted to be certain.

"My father has been disappointed in me since I was three years old," Hinata said bitterly. "I find what he thinks no longer matters as much. I have hidden or destroyed the poisons I made, so that no more accidents may occur, but I will continue to study under Anko-senpai if she permits it." Anko was tempted to point out that Hinata's speech grew more formal when she was angry, but desisted. "I will need a new place to work, as continuing to use the Hyuuga stillroom would be unwise."

"You are always welcome in the Aburame," Shino cut in. "My father has a lab no one uses. It's too small for clan purposes, but I cannot imagine anyone would object to you using it."

A genuine smile lit up Hinata's features. "Thank you, Shino-kun."

Kurenai turned to her female student. "Hinata, this is only a temporary solution. So long as your father sees you daily, you run the risk of being caught. I can't imagine he'd be happy to hear you disobeyed him."

Hinata nodded. "And that is why I will have to make sure he doesn't. Sensei, when we reach chuunin, our pay goes up. I have been saving my pay, but that will give me a boost. Hopefully, within a few months I should have enough to rent a small apartment. Will you help me find one?"

Anko could feel what Ibiki had termed her 'unholy grin' curling across her face as Kurenai agreed to help. She'd grown to like Hinata in the weeks she'd been teaching her, and the thought of Hinata breaking away from the clan that made her miserable _and_ putting Hiashi's nose out of joint was too tempting to resist. "I'll keep an ear out for good places, Hina-chan. Ones a good distance from the Hyuuga Compound."

"I would be more than happy to assist as well," Shino put in.

There was a small pause, then Anko made an executive decision. "Well, since we're all wound up, let's do something different today. How's the Tora mission been going?"

Shino responded, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "Over the past few weeks we have taken the Tora mission fifteen times. Our initial time, once my 'tag' was removed, was one hour thirty-six minutes and twenty-three seconds from the moment we left the missions office to the moment we returned. Our most recent time was twenty-five minutes and six seconds. Our best," he added, "was three days ago, when we completed our objective in twenty-one minutes and forty-seven seconds."

Anko's eyebrows went up. That was impressive. "All right, you kids have some skills. Keep it up. Now," she smirked. "For today, you'll track me. Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya."

The rest of the morning and most of the afternoon was spent Anko-hunting. Unsurprisingly, Shino and Hinata had a hard time keeping up with the snake mistress, even after she'd agreed to 'go easy' on them. They refused to give up, though, and once they'd gone home Anko cheerfully told Kurenai that 'her brats' had done 'almost as well as the recruits we get'.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A week after Hinata's confrontation with her father, Team Kurenai broke a missions office record when they captured Tora in a time of eighteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds. When a sour career genin tried to say that their sensei must have helped, a half-dozen witnesses insisted that Kurenai hadn't so much as stepped outside the missions office during that time.

It would be another two weeks before the pair broke twenty minutes again, but a little over two months after they began timing the Tora mission, Team Kurenai was regularly bringing the cat back in twenty minutes or less.

It was in part thanks to the Tora mission record that the rest of the jounin-sensei learned exactly what Team Kurenai was planning. The capture had taken place late one afternoon, and, flushed on success, the pair decided to tell their senpai of their new record. As Hinata could not be seen in public with Anko thanks to her father's new rules, Shino was chosen to deliver the message.

Anko was hanging out in a bar with Genma, Raido, and Asuma when Shino and Kurenai found her. Kakashi was sitting nearby, listening but not really engaged, while Gai attempted to draw him into another challenge. She was pulled from listening to Genma's retelling of a mission mishap involving the laundry of a minor lordling's palace when a quiet "Anko-senpai" came from behind her.

The three turned around, Anko recognizing the voice as belonging to one of her two quietest kohai. "Shino, 'sup?" she greeted the genin. On either side, Genma and Raido's jaws dropped. _Anko-senpai?_

"My teammate and I recently broke the Tora record. We thought you might be interested to hear."

Anko's eyebrow went up. "Oh? Tell me."

"Eighteen minutes, thirty-seven seconds, Anko-senpai."

Anko barely registered Genma and Raido edging away as a grin curled her lips. "Well done, kohai." She complimented Shino. "Tell Sunny that I'll meet the two of you day after tomorrow at the usual time. We'll do somethin' fun to celebrate!"

Shino bowed, then exited the bar quietly, presumably on his way home. Kurenai commandeered a stool next to Asuma, looking smug.

It was Genma who found his voice first. "Anko-senpai? What've you been doing to Kurenai's brats, Anko?"

"Oi, I'll have you know that those brats are some of the best students I've had in a good while." Anko drained her glass. "Take everything I throw at them and ask for more, they do."

Raido whistled, impressed. "They're pretty fresh genin, aren't they?"

"They've only been genin for a few months, but they're hardly raw," Kurenai interceded on her student's behalf. "Hinata's got a growing repertoire of poisons and antidotes, and Shino's been picking up anatomy fast. Not to mention that they're becoming very good trackers."

"You're training them to be hunters." Kakashi's voice was quiet, but it cut through the background chatter like a knife. The jounin turned to look at the ex-ANBU.

Kurenai bit the inside of her cheek. Damn Kakashi's perceptiveness! While it wasn't necessarily a secret, the less the news got around the better, at least until the pair were ready. "And if I am?"

Kakashi's lone visible eye surveyed her for a moment, before returning to the glass clutched in his hand. "Just hope you know what you're doing."

"How un-youthful of you, my eternal rival!" Gai scolded. "Kurenai-san's students are simply exploring another avenue for their youthful energies!"

"Gai's right," Asuma cut in, preventing another of Gai's 'youth' rants. "Relax Kakashi. Kurenai can handle her kids just fine. I just wish mine had half as good a work ethic."

"They've got one hell of a motive force," Anko muttered.

There was a moment of silence, before Kurenai forcibly changed the subject. "So, Raido, you were saying something about Miura-dono's laundry?" Recognizing the change of subject for what it was, and respecting her reluctance to reminisce on her dead student, the jounin moved on to discussing mission mishaps for the rest of the night.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Four months after Kiba's death, Kurenai appeared at team training one day carrying two forms in her hand. "If you two like," she told them, "I am more than willing to nominate you for the Chuunin Exams."

* * *

A/N: Cliffhanger time!

As usual, thanks to my beloved pest of a baby sister and beta, **Pyrozia**. [Shameless plug alert] Lil'sis writes excellent character studies, mostly Bleach, but she has branched out into Naruto recently. If you are interested, you can find her in my Favorite Authors list, or just search her.

*bows* Many thanks to everyone who reviewed, both known and anonymous. I'm afraid it may be a little while before I update again, as I just started classes this week and the next chapter has been being distinctly uncooperative. I will do everything in my power to get it out within the next fortnight, if not by this time next week.

Next chapter: A Chance at Promotion


	3. A Chance at Promotion

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

A Chance at Promotion

_I am more than willing to nominate you for the Chuunin Exams._

Hinata and Shino traded cautious glances. Their plans hinged on advancing in rank, true. However, both of them were realistic enough to admit that they had gotten through the last Chuunin Exam on sheer luck, and they could not rely on that happening again. Then there was the matter of their team size – the exam required three-man teams. On the other hand, they really couldn't afford to pass this opportunity up. Things had been tense at home for Hinata, and her frustration was starting to spill over to work. On top of that, Shino, always highly sensitive to his surroundings, was starting to respond to her agitation.

"Sensei," Shino spoke first. "I think that we would be happy to take the exams." Hinata nodded, and he went on. "I presume there is a protocol in place for teams who are-" his voice faltered, but he went on. "short a member?"

Kurenai nodded. "If a jounin-sensei wants to nominate a student to the exams, and their teammates have been promoted or are," she swallowed "otherwise unavailable, then they can be added to another incomplete team for the first two parts."

"How do they choose who gets added to what team?" Hinata wanted to know.

"Usually it's decided at a meeting of the nominating sensei. Those with incomplete teams try to match up their students. The ideal is to match a team with two genin to a team with one. That way a team isn't split up when they take the exams. They-We also try to set up teams of genin who are at least somewhat familiar with each other. It makes things easier that way." Kurenai shrugged. "The nominations for the exams are due in tomorrow, and the meeting should be the day after. You'll have a little over a week to get used to your new teammate."

The pair nodded, thinking it over. After four months, they were fairly used to acting as a two-person team. Slowly, they'd stopped turning around to say something to Kiba only to realize that he wasn't there, or lifting their heads at a dog's bark, thinking for a moment it might be Akamaru. Bringing someone new into the team, even temporarily, would change the fragile new dynamic, but they were reasonably sure they could adapt.

Kurenai met the eyes of her two students, easily picking up on their unease, watching as it was quickly erased by determination. She smiled softly. "I have every faith that you will do well."

The team got down to training, and spent a short hour in sparring hand-to-hand, before taking a short break to catch their breath and work on some advanced genjutsu theory. Neither was easy to trap in genjutsu thanks to their clan traits, and Kurenai knew that neither would master and specialize in genjutsu the way she did, but she also knew a fair number of techniques that would aid in concealment. While there was no way to make yourself invisible, there were plenty of ways to make yourself difficult to see. Thus far she'd been teaching them the two main methods: blending into the surroundings, the most common use, and a slightly more finicky technique generally referred to as 'notice-me-not'. Shino was better at the former, having successfully gotten to the point where he could blend into trees and rocks as part of the landscape, though he still had difficulty maintaining it while on the move. It had not been much of a surprise to Kurenai when Hinata excelled at the latter, even if she had yet to be able to move faster than a walk while maintaining it.

After about a half-hour, recognizing the signs of oncoming headaches, Kurenai called a halt to genjutsu and set them to working on their accuracy. Here, Shino was decidedly better, as Hinata's clan techniques almost never used thrown weapons. After a long discussion with Anko two months back, the pair had added a variety of small weapons, including senbon to their arsenal, and the boy was proving to be almost as good with them as with kunai and shuriken.

Once both had peppered the targets posted on the surrounding trees with their stores of weaponry twice, Kurenai called another brief halt. "Much better you two. Take fifteen minutes to get a drink of water and prepare yourselves. We'll have one last spar before we go collect a mission."

Gathering up the last of their weapons, the two obediently collected their water flasks and sat side-by-side at the base of a tree. Shino drank from his flask while Hinata sorted through her senbon, picking out the badly damaged ones and putting them in a pile to be disposed of later. Kurenai watched them quietly. She had not been exaggerating when she said that they'd do well in the exam. They'd come so far.

"Sensei, is this going to be a multi-village exam?" Shino asked suddenly.

Kurenai took a moment before she responded to the apparent non-sequitur. Shino never asked questions without a reason. "Why do you ask that?"

The Aburame shifted slightly. "Tsunade-sama has only been Hokage for five months, and the last Chuunin Exam ended up being a cover for an invasion by Oto and Suna." He tilted his head to one side, the Aburame equivalent of an embarrassed shrug. "On the one hand, it would be logical for Tsunade-sama to restrict the exam to the village, to prevent the influx of foreign shinobi that usually accompanies the Chuunin Exams. On the other, a multi-village exam could be used as a show of Konoha's strength, even after the death of Sandaime."

"Right on both counts, Shino." Kurenai said, smiling softly. "However, Tsunade has decided to allow this exam to be multi-village."

Hinata frowned. "I thought the Chuunin Exams rotated between the villages?"

"Usually, they do. However, with Suna and Oto's invasion at the last one, it was declared invalid and Konoha given another chance to host. Technically, your classmate Shikamaru was given a promotion for service in the field."

The pair could not help but smile at the image of the lazy Nara getting a field promotion. It was so very unlike him.

Deciding that they'd had enough rest, Kurenai stood up and dusted herself off. "Right, one last quick spar, and then a mission."

That evening, Kurenai reported to the Hokage's office, along with the rest of the jounin-sensei who had genin. She watched the rest of the sensei out of the corner of her eye as they milled around. As per the norm, Tsunade started with the rawest genin class, those who had only just graduated. To nobody's great surprise, all the sensei declined, the memory of the last exams too raw for any of them to feel comfortably nominating their students.

Asuma turned down the chance to nominate Chouji and Ino, saying he'd feel more comfortable waiting another six months. Kurenai stepped forward, reciting the protocol she'd learned a little over six months previously. "Team Kurenai, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino. Under the name of Yuuhi Kurenai, I nominate them to take the Chuunin Selection Exam."

A small ripple of mutters swept the room. Kurenai ignored it, focusing on the Hokage. Tsunade eyed the younger woman for a moment, then nodded. "A third teammate will need to be added."

Kurenai nodded once in reply. "They are aware of the rules, Hokage-sama." Tsunade smirked before turning to the next graduating class. Maito Gai quickly nominated his students.

Kurenai listened with half an ear, paying attention to the sensei who nominated only one or two students. Far fewer genin were being nominated this exam, and many of them were from incomplete teams. Once the Hokage had finished taking the names of the nominees, the jounin nominating less than three adjourned to a room next to the office to begin hashing out temporary placements.

After about twenty minutes of arguments and negotiations, Kurenai had a temporary third student. Kawaguchi Akai was a fifteen year old first-generation shinobi whose combat style utilized mid-range attacks, specifically katon, and had something of a genius for ciphers. He'd sat the Chuunin Exams once before, a year previously, only to be knocked out in the prelims while one of his teammates had been promoted. The other had broken her leg on a C-ranked mission three days previously, and wouldn't have healed enough to take part by the time the exams rolled around. His sensei had been brutally frank when describing him to Kurenai.

"He's no good at genjutsu beyond the basics and his close-combat isn't terribly strong either. He's impetuous in the field, has a tendency to rely on ninjutsu too much, and his trap-making skills are nowhere near as good as they should be. On the other hand, he can crack any cipher you give him and loves analysis. He's also deadly with explosives. I've been nudging him towards the cryptology squad, but he wants to make chuunin first." He shrugged. "He should fit in fine with your lot. At least, they probably won't kill each other."

Kurenai nodded. "If you could have him report to training ground 15 tomorrow at 11.00, I'd appreciate it." She was the newer jounin, but since two of the team members were hers, it was technically her squad for the duration of the exam.

"Sure, no problem." He eyed her for a moment, then shrugged again. "If you'll pardon my saying so, Kurenai-san, the kid could do a lot worse than you as a sensei. And I've heard good things about your little pair. They'll do fine."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning, Hinata slipped out of the Hyuuga compound early and headed across the village to the Aburame clan's houses. Once there, she hurried to the little lab Shino and his father had set aside for her use, calling a good morning to the Aburame she passed. She wanted to restock her supplies before the exam, knowing full well that she wouldn't get another chance until it was over. By 08.00 Hinata was up to her elbows in various plant matter and happily oblivious to the world around her.

She finally surfaced at 10.30 when Shino knocked on the doorframe. "Ah, Shino-kun! Good morning!"

"Good morning." The Aburame stayed by the door, wary of getting in his teammate's way. "Kurenai-sensei asked us to meet her at training ground 15 at 11.00. She wants us to train with our temporary teammate as much as we can before the exams."

"Oh, right. I'll be done in just a moment." Swiftly the girl tidied up her bench, turning off the heat and labeling the last of her flasks. "I've made extras of just about everything, so we shouldn't run out during the test. I'll have to come back to finish some of them up later, but that's the ones that need to sit overnight anyway. Those," she waved a hand at the large jars sitting on a shelf by the door, "are medical ointments. Your family's welcome to as much as they like."

Shino eyed the shelf laden with a half-dozen full jars, each the size of his head. "You spoil my clan, Hinata."

Hinata flushed. "N-not really. Your father was kind enough to let me use the space and the equipment, it's only fair that I do something to pay you back."

"The gesture is appreciated, but unnecessary," Shibi appeared in the doorway behind his son. Hinata squeaked. "It is a pleasure to have you here, Hinata-san."

Red-faced, Hinata marshaled herself and bowed. "I-I must i-insist, Aburame-san. Your a-assistance has been i-invaluable a-and…"

Smiling behind his collar, Shibi stepped in. "As you wish, Hinata-san. I will confess, my family has developed a preference for your work. You are a credit to your teacher."

Hinata flushed redder, and bowed again.

On the walk to the training grounds, Shino amused himself by watching his teammate try to master herself. He'd figured out shortly after they started working with Anko that Hinata's response to praise or compliments was fairly extreme, and knowing the inner workings of the clans as he did it was not hard to figure out the cause. While he disliked Hiashi for the obvious lack of positive reinforcement Hinata dealt with at home, he couldn't help fighting the urge to snicker at the way she went red-faced so easily.

They arrived at the training ground with a couple of minutes to spare. Kurenai was already waiting for them, and they bade her a quiet 'good morning' before they settled in to wait in silence.

At 11.00 on the dot, a figure came running down the path and stumbled to a halt in front of them. "Aaah, sorry I'm late! I was visiting Kaede-chan in the hospital and lost track of time." Straightening up, he smiled. "I'm Kawaguchi Akai, and I think I'm your teammate for the Chuunin Exams."

Kurenai couldn't help smiling back. "That is correct, Akai-san. My name is Yuuhi Kurenai, and these are my students." She turned to the pair, who were observing the older genin with interest. "Akai-san will be joining you two for the exams. We'll be spending the week training, to give you a chance to learn each other's abilities well enough to function as a unit. Let's begin with introductions. Name, strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and goals, I think. I'll begin. My name is Yuuhi Kurenai, my strength is genjutsu, my weakest skill is close-quarters combat. I like spending time with my friends, and dislike perverts. My goal is to help my students achieve their goals."

Turning, she nodded at Shino, who obediently took up the thread. "I am Aburame Shino. My greatest strength is my bond with my colony, and I am weakest in ninjutsu. I like spending time outdoors, and I abhor traitors." His voice became harsher at the end of the sentence. "My goal is to become one of Konoha's Elite."

Hinata smoothly picked up the conversation, looking over Akai's shoulder so she wouldn't stutter. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata. My greatest strength is my Byakugan, and I am also weakest in ninjutsu. I like to make medicines and poisons, and dislike those who look down on others and abandon their comrades. Like Shino, my goal is to become one of the elite." She gave an internal sigh as she finished. Her stuttering was getting better, she just had to concentrate, usually on something else. The fact that the Hyuuga eyes made it hard for people to tell when she was looking at them helped.

The three of them looked at Akai, who grinned nervously and rubbed his arm. "Ah, I'm Kawaguchi Akai. My greatest strength…probably my skills with explosives. As for weakness, definitely genjutsu. I like puzzles and dislike escort missions. Goals…well, my sensei says I'd do well in cryptology, and it does sound interesting, but I'm really still undecided." He shrugged apologetically. "Not really interesting."

"Um," Hinata hesitated, then forged ahead. "If it is what interests you, then what does our opinion matter?" When everyone stared at her, she retreated into herself, bowing her head so that her hair fell across her face.

Seeing his teammate fall prey to her lack of self-confidence, Shino hurried to speak. "Hinata is correct, Akai-san. If it interests you, then nobody has the right to say you are wrong."

Akai stared at them for a moment, before chuckling self-consciously. "Guess so."

Smiling softly, Kurenai stepped forward. "Right. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Akai-san. Let's start with some one-on-one sparring before lunch, and then we'll move into technique comparisons and strategy."

The spars were informative, for a number of reasons. Akai seemed to understand that letting either Shino or Hinata get in close would be a bad idea, so he used katon jutsu and the judicious application of exploding tags to keep them at a distance. Hinata was faster than he was, and she ended up being able to get inside his guard with a pair of senbon. Shino ended up taking him to a draw when a lucky katon singed him, distracting him long enough for Akai to draw a kunai. As she watched, Kurenai made mental lists of skills to work on: Both Shino and Hinata had grown used to sparring against other close-combat specialists; she was going to have to put them up against distance fighters more often. As for Akai, he needed to get better at defending up close, as the one time Shino managed to engage him close-range he'd taken quite the beating from the younger boy before managing to extricate himself with a combination of a point-blank katon technique and substitution.

The group adjourned to the bank of a nearby pond for lunch, eating largely in silence. Once most of the food had been consumed, Shino turned to their older teammate. "Akai-san, I hope I don't sound rude, but why are you taking this alone? Have your teammates already been promoted?"

Akai gave an apologetic shrug. "Osamu has, the crazy idiot. He's a workaholic, absolutely obsessed with infiltration and disguise. Kaede-chan was going to take the test with me, but she broke her leg a couple of days ago and the medics won't have it healed in time." He surveyed them curiously. "What about you two? I asked sensei and he said it was none of his business to tell me."

The pair stilled for a moment, and Akai was half afraid he'd crossed some all-important invisible line. "Inuzuka Kiba was killed in action four months ago." Shino said softly.

Akai stared at the pair with his mouth hanging open. "I – oh Kami-sama, I had no idea…"

Shino gave a whole-body shudder, then stood up suddenly and walked away, pulling kunai out of his pouch. When he'd reached the center of the training ground, he started to methodically sink them into targets.

"You'll have to pardon Shino," Hinata's quiet voice nearly made Akai jump out of his skin. He'd not sensed her coming up behind him. "Neither of us was available when the mission was called." She gave him a weak little smile. "It's been difficult."

"I'll bet," Akai muttered, watching her walk over to join her teammate.

The rest of training went relatively smoothly. After a couple of hours comparing techniques, the group settled down to evaluate strategies. Kurenai would pose problems, describing mission parameters, objectives, and restrictions, before letting them hash out a solution. The two younger genin were pleasantly surprised by Akai's grasp of strategy, even if he did have a tendency to suggest actions without thinking them through sometimes.

When the group broke for the evening, it was feeling cautiously optimistic about the exams. Shino waved Hinata off, then took off across the training grounds, headed for the Memorial Stone. He waited quietly at the edge of the clearing for a purple-haired kunoichi to finish making an offering, only stepping into the open after she left. He approached the Stone and crouched down next to it, tracing his fingers in the air over Kiba's name.

_Hi, Kiba_, he thought. He'd never understood the urge older shinobi had to speak to their dead, but in the past few months he'd started making occasional visits to the memorial. Unlike some, he never spoke aloud, but the Aburame had long ago turned talking with miniscule gestures into an art form, and whole conversations could be carried on without actually speaking.

_We're taking the Chuunin Exams next week. Hokage-sama had to assign us a temporary teammate. You'd probably find him interesting – he uses primarily katon and is pretty good with explosions._ Shino paused, rocking back on his heels. _Hinata and I should come out of it with promotions, unless by some great cosmic joke we get invaded by Kiri or Iwa._ Shino paused again, imagining Kiba laughing at that. Despite his loud, brash nature the Inuzuka boy had appreciated the art of irony.

_We've both improved. Hinata's gotten more confident, even if she still blushes whenever anyone compliments her. She knows how to make more poisons than half my cousins and she's still going to her lab every day, even though her father's been making disapproving noises about all the time she spends away from the Hyuuga compound. Anko-senpai says that at this rate she won't have any more poisons to teach her within a year and a half._ Shino paused again, trying to decide what else to tell his missing teammate._ I've finally mastered that notice-me-not genjutsu Kurenai-sensei taught us, and I've picked up a pair of doton jutsu. My accuracy has improved too._

_Actually, speaking of sensei, my bugs have been picking up traces of Sarutobi Asuma-sensei on her clothes when she comes to training. You'd probably have noticed before me, you always did have a really good sense of smell._

Shino sat quietly for a while, slipping into a light meditation. It was oddly peaceful near the memorial. When he finally surfaced, it was to see the sun several degrees lower than he'd anticipated. Pushing himself to his feet, he bowed briefly to the Stone before taking to the trees again, making his way back toward the residential areas of the village. He'd be back to talk to Kiba later, right now he had to get home before dinner, on pain of parental displeasure.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Two days before the start of exams, Kurenai, Shino, Hinata, and Akai were walking through Konoha in search of lunch. After a successful practice, in which they'd finally managed to anticipate each other's actions like teams who'd been together for years, Kurenai had offered to get them lunch to celebrate. As Hinata and Shino quietly debated between zenzai and winter melon soup, they were hailed by a distant cousin of Hinata's, a member of the main branch.

"Hinata-sama, a moment of your time?"

Hinata turned warily. "Yes, Akira-san?"

"Hinata-sama, word has reached the clan that you intend to participate in the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

Hinata straightened her shoulders. "That is correct, Akira-san."

The man nodded. "I see. With all due respect, Hinata-sama, are you sure this is wise? After your performance in the last exam-"

Hinata interrupted him. "Akira-san, how does how I-I performed in the last exam predict m-my performance in this one?"

Akira looked startled, although he controlled himself quickly. Hinata never interrupted anyone, that was a behavior people expected from Hanabi. "Of course. My apologies, Hinata-sama." He bowed. "I see you are busy, so I will bother you no longer."

Hinata bowed her head. "Have a good day, Akira-san."

As the group moved away, Kurenai moved up to place a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I started making inquiries about apartments…" she said, trying to distract her student.

Akai dropped back a couple of paces to speak with Shino. "What did that Hyuuga mean, 'after her performance in the last exam'?"

Shino, who'd been listening with half an ear to the discussion of apartment layouts and leases going on ahead of him, turned a piercing look on Akai. "In the last exam, a preliminary round was held for the third part of the test. The proctors needed to lower the number of competitors so the daimyos wouldn't get bored with a long tournament. Hinata was unlucky enough to go up against her cousin, Hyuuga Neji."

Akai furrowed his brows. He'd picked up some understanding of the kind of person Hinata was after a week, so he was pretty sure he knew what happened. "What, did she throw the fight?"

Shino shook his head. "Hyuuga Neji is a year older than Hinata, and preternaturally skilled at the Hyuuga combat techniques. And" his expression darkened, "While Hinata was reluctant to injure someone she thinks of as an older brother, Neji-san had no such compunctions."

Akai winced. That did not sound pretty. "He beat her up?"

"He tried to kill her."

Akai gaped. "The hell?" While he was from a civilian family, he'd figured that shinobi clans behaved much like their civilian counterparts. Apparently he was wrong.

"Shino-kun, stop that," Hinata said softly. She'd picked up the last half of the conversation. "Neji-niisan's been behaving much better lately, and you know it. Besides," a little smile curled up the corner of her mouth. "Should I face Neji-niisan again, I will not be using jyuuken."

Shino bowed his head in acknowledgement of the rebuke, but smirked behind his coat collar. He almost hoped that the cousins would be pitted against each other again, if only so that he could see the look on Neji's face when his tiny cousin drugged him stupid.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The morning of the exam dawned bright and clear. In the Hyuuga compound, Hinata awoke early to properly prepare herself for the day. Along with her usual pouch of kunai and shuriken she strapped on a pouch of senbon and slid vials into small pockets on the sides. She slipped some more vials into small pockets set into her coat and wrapped a roll of wire around her arm, where it could act as a modified bracer until she needed it. Grabbing a couple of sticks of incense, she slipped out of her room and went in search of breakfast.

Despite her efforts to get out of the compound early, both Neji and her father were eating already. Surrendering to the inevitable, Hinata sat down quietly and began eating as quickly as she could without seeming rude. After a few minutes, Hiashi put down his chopsticks and turned to her.

"Hinata, I understand that you are participating in the Chuunin Exams today."

Hinata kept her gaze on the table. "Yes Father."

"Hmm." Hiashi regarded his firstborn for a moment longer, then returned to his meal. "I trust you will not disgrace the clan," was all he said.

"No, Father." Hinata murmured.

Minutes later, she excused herself and hurried outside. Once she was past the Hyuuga gates, she gave a breath of relief before taking off in the direction of the cemetery. Once there, she quickly found the section reserved for the Inuzuka clan. A minute later she was standing in front of Kiba's grave.

Gently brushing off the dust collecting on the stone, Hinata lit the two incense sticks and placed them in front of the grave. As the scented smoke rose, she pulled up a couple of encroaching weeds and disposed of the leaf litter that had collected against the base. That done, she sat back on her heels and stared off into space for a moment.

"Shino-kun's probably already told you, Kiba-kun," she said suddenly, "but the Chuunin Exams are today. I-I'm a little bit nervous. Shino-kun and Anko-senpai and Kurenai-sensei think we'll pass, but," Hinata bowed her head, "I still worry."

"I know you'd tell me to relax, that we'd do fine, but it's hard sometimes. Father told me at breakfast that he 'trusts I will not disgrace the clan'. I know it's what I expected, but I still wish he'd said 'do your best' or even 'good luck'." Sighing, Hinata regarded the silent stone carefully, keen eyes picking out the dirt building in the corners of Kiba and Akamaru's names. "I saw Hana-san yesterday. She told me that your mother's doing a little better, and that Shino and I should come over for dinner once the exam's over. She said she wanted an excuse to make a huge dinner, but I think she's trying to distract Tsume-san. I said we'd go, of course, and offered to help cook, but she told me that if I tried she'd have the Haimaru triplets sit on me."

Hinata sat quietly for a few minutes more, enjoying the quiet and the feel of the sun. About fifteen minutes later, she rose, dusting off her knees. "I need to go, Kiba-kun. I'll be back after the second part of the exams, if I can."

Leaving the cemetery as quietly as she entered it, Hinata hurried across the village. She needed to stop by her little lab in the Aburame neighborhood and pick up a few things before she went to the Academy.

Like his teammate, Shino had gotten up early as well. He'd had a light breakfast with his family before collecting his gear for the day and taking off for the training grounds and the Memorial Stone. Landing in the clearing, Shino made his way to the tree line near the stone before settling down to meditate. About forty-five minutes later, he shook himself into awareness and stood, stretching his muscles briefly. Facing the Stone, he bowed. _Wish us luck, Kiba._

Making his way back into town, Shino fell into the easy rhythm of planning strategy within strategy, trying to cover as many contingencies as he could think of. He'd gotten up through 'facing another Gaara' by the time he reached the Academy, with a little twenty minutes to spare before the test.

Hinata arrived moments after he did, and passed him a number of vials, quietly whispering the names of their contents as she did so. She smelled oddly of incense, but he didn't need to ask her how she'd spent her early morning. While he went to the Memorial Stone to talk to Kiba, Hinata always went to his grave.

A couple of minutes later, Akai appeared as the clock outside the Academy chimed the quarter hour, muttering something about irritating teammates who really were terrible patients. Together, the three moved towards the doors, and the first exam.

* * *

A/N: It's true that not a lot happened in this one, but no worries, the exam is coming up next time! The chapter was getting long and this seemed like a good place to stop.

As last time, I hope to have the next chapter out next week, but my college can be fairly capricious in scheduling exams and major papers, and I often don't know what a week's going to be like more than a couple of days in advance. While it's early days yet for major assignments, that doesn't mean it can't happen.

Thanks to all the lovely reviewers and their wonderful reviews. It's always very exciting to open my e-mail and see [FF Review Alert] in the subject line of a new message. Another thank you to everyone who's put this story (or me) on their Favorites or Alerts.

As usual, thanks to **Pyrozia**, beloved pest of a younger sibling and beta.

Next Chapter: Making the Grade.


	4. Making the Grade

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Making the Grade

Once inside the Academy, the trio climbed the stairs, heading for the examination room. They saw a group of genin on their right, hassling a pair of chuunin standing guard outside a door, but rather than stop they continued on, heading for the next flight of stairs. Before they reached them, Shino gestured his teammates after him as he stepped inside an empty classroom.

"I am going to tag you," he told them quietly, holding out a hand to each of them, a single kikai on the fingertips of each hand. Hinata accepted the kikai without comment, letting the little insect crawl under her collar and from there under her hitai-ate.

Akai was more skeptical. "Tag?" he asked. "With your bugs?"

Shino made a soft noise of impatience. "I will place a single female kikai on your body. She will stay with you for the duration of the exam, at which point I will summon her back to me. The males of the same species can scent the females from a great distance, but nothing else can, making them undetectable. I can use the females to track you and stay updated on your condition, should things go wrong."

Akai eyed the kikai warily, but took it from Shino and lifted it up to his face for a closer look. "Cool but creepy, man." When Shino and Hinata looked at him in expectant silence, he sighed noisily before placing the insect on his shoulder and trying not to squirm as it crawled under his collar. "Alright, come on," he insisted.

The three of them made their way to the testing room and slipped in quietly, finding a spot near the wall to wait for the exam to begin. While they waited, they watched the other teams, quietly identifying the shinobi they recognized for each other. There were a number of shinobi from Akai's year taking the exam, as well as ones he'd worked with before on missions. Hinata and Shino managed to identify some of the clans represented, and Shino quietly pointed out Team Gai. As the clock on the wall hit the hour, a puff of smoke appeared at the front of the room, and Morino Ibiki stepped out of it, flanked by a phalanx of chuunin in full uniform. "Quiet down, you useless idiots!" the scarred jounin roared.

The room fell silent almost at once.

"Now that I've got your attention," Ibiki rumbled, voice deceptively soft, "I am Morino Ibiki, proctor and administrator of the first test of the Chuunin Exams. While within this room, I am God. Any disobedience, and your entire team fails. Now," he gestured one of the chuunin forward, "Each of you will draw a seat number from this basket. Once you have your number, go and sit down."

A small scrum formed around the chuunin as he passed out numbers, some of the genin shoving the smaller participants out of the way, and Ibiki made an irritated noise. "This is as good a time as any to say this, but there will be no killing during this portion of the exam. In point of fact, there will be no fighting during this portion. Have I made myself clear?"

Things became much more orderly after that. Shino and Hinata held back, surprising Akai. "You want to get the last numbers?" he asked.

Shino shook his head. "It does not matter when we get our numbers. As the numbers are assigned relatively randomly, forcing one's way through a crowd makes no difference."

Eventually, everyone got a number and found their seats. Shino was up at the front of the room, Hinata about midway along on the far left side, and Akai was all the way in the back right corner. The chuunin moved down the rows, passing out sheets of paper.

"While you're getting your tests, I'm going to explain this portion of the exam." Ibiki said. "Do not turn your tests over until I say go." A number of genin who'd been reaching for the papers dropped their hands. "Now, there are a number of rules you have to observe. I'll write them on the board, but I will only say them once, and there will be no questions, so listen closely. Firstly, this is a team test. Whether or not you pass will be determined by your team's combined score. You can earn a maximum of ten points on this exam, so that's a maximum of thirty for each team. Second," and here a smirk crossed Ibiki's face, "if you're caught cheating by the proctors, then two points are subtracted from your final score per offense. So, if you're caught cheating five times, then you're out, and your team goes with you." He surveyed the exam room. "Basically, the pathetic ones among you who get caught cheating will be ruining their own chances. You have one hour. Begin."

There was a chorus of rustling paper as the examinees turned their pages over, and then the room fell silent aside from the scratching of pencils on paper.

Shino raised an eyebrow. He knew better than to expect the exam to be exactly like the previous one, but this was a little strange. The test was a single question, a block of text, obviously part of a quotation, with three words above it: Complete and Solve. Sighing to himself, he surreptitiously released a handful of kikai. It was time to see what the other examinees were up to, and to see if he couldn't find someone to steal the answers from. Similarly, Hinata activated her Byakugan, letting the fall of her hair disguise the distended veins.

Akai, meanwhile, was feeling confident. This sounded like something right up his alley. Upon reading closely over his section of text, he realized that he recognized it. It was an excerpt from a child's tale, something a civilian child might have read to them, but a shinobi child would most likely never have heard or seen. He almost laughed as he realized that he'd read it the week previously to his older sister's son, a toddler who demanded the story every day. Bending over his paper, he began to quickly rewrite as much of the passage as he could remember, before slowing to a halt as he realized he had no idea how long the passage was supposed to be. Checking to see who the proctors were paying attention to, he snuck a glance at his neighbor's paper.

All three quickly realized that the passage had in fact been split among the test-takers, and that no two people had the exact same section. Before long, Hinata, Shino, and Akai had largely complete versions of the passage in front of them.

Meanwhile, teams were being evicted right and left. Five teams were kicked out in the first fifteen minutes, but after that the rate went down – or the examinees got smarter. In the back of the room, Akai cheerfully worked out the cipher, while further up Hinata and Shino compared Akai's work to that of the shinobi they'd tentatively identified as the chuunin plants.

Before long the trio were done, and found things to occupy their time with until the end of the exam. Akai made finicky corrections to the cipher and began to design a new one. Shino sent his kikai to collect as much information as he could on the other shinobi. Hinata occupied herself with finding the tenketsu of the shinobi sitting around her. Around them, a further four teams were kicked out.

An hour after the exam began, Ibiki stepped forward. "Pencils down," he called. "It's time for the second part of this test." When he was certain he had everyone's attention, he continued. "Each of you has presumably gotten somewhere with the test. Now, each team only gets to submit one test, but you do not get the chance to talk with your teammates and compare answers beforehand. That single score decides whether you can proceed to the next round or not. If the test scores too low, then you are dismissed, and will not be allowed to test again. Or you can walk out now and test again in six months in Iwa."

Silence reigned for a moment before a number of shinobi stood up and left. Checking their lists, the proctors called the numbers of their teammates and sent them out. After six teams had left, Ibiki let the silence stretch on for a few more minutes before smiling. "Congratulations. Those of you still here have passed the first test."

Muttering broke out across the room. Ignoring the chatter, Ibiki continued. "This is a two-part test, designed to test your information gathering skills and your willingness to trust your teammates. You will be sent on missions where you are required to leave your lives in the hands of a teammate, or you will be responsible for the lives of your team. If you cannot trust them to help you through an exam, then how can you trust them to keep you alive? Someone who cannot trust their team, who hangs back because 'there's always next time' is not ready for the responsibilities of being a chuunin."

"Then what's the point of the whole 'one test per team' bit?" an Iwa genin asked.

Ibiki shrugged. "Incentive."

"Are our tests actually going to be graded, or were they a front?" a Konoha genin wanted to know.

"Oh, we'll grade them." Ibiki assured them. "The judges will get your scores and they'll become part of your assessment." He smiled slightly. "From here on out, the tests only get more difficult. Good luck – you're going to need it."

A cloud of smoke appeared to Ibiki's right, dissipating to reveal Mitarashi Anko, grinning madly. "Alright, maggots! It's my turn now!" If possible, her grin widened. "I'm Mitarashi Anko, and I'll be your proctor for the second part of the exam! You've got half an hour to meet me at training ground 44, by gate number one." She smirked. "If anyone's late, their entire team gets disqualified." There was dead silence. "Well, what are you waiting for? Move it!"

The room turned to chaos as all twenty teams tried to leave. Shino waved Akai and Hinata over to the window, then turned and jumped out himself. The trio landed in the schoolyard, and Shino turned to the others. "Grab your packs, we'll meet up at training ground 44 in twenty-five minutes." The trio scattered, running like mad.

Twenty-four minutes and thirty-six seconds later, Akai skidded to a halt in front of his teammates. Each of them carried a small pack, in addition to their usual weapons pouches. Looking both the boys over, Hinata nodded, then led the way to the group congregating outside the gate, where Anko was waiting flanked by a handful of chuunin.

One of them was holding a stopwatch. "It's been thirty minutes, Anko-san."

Anko smirked. "A couple of you go ahead and head off any stragglers. And make sure they leave, they had their chance." A couple of the chuunin separated off from the group and headed out towards the trail leading back into the village.

"Right!" Anko turned to the group at large. "Listen up, I'm only saying this once!" She paused once to make sure she had everyone's attention. "Welcome to training ground 44, the site of the second part of the Chuunin Exams, better known as the Forest of Death! My lovely assistants," she nodded at the chuunin standing next to her, "have waivers for you to fill out and sign. While they're passing those out, I'm gonna tell you about the exam." She pulled out a scroll and unrolled it to reveal a map of the area. "Training ground 44 is a circular area approximately 20 km in diameter, with a tower in the exact middle. The tower is surrounded by the forest, except for where the river cuts through it. Now, in the forest we've erected five buildings. Each building has a bunch of scrolls hidden inside. Your job is to collect at least three scrolls, each from a separate building! Each building's got a different set, so don't try to fool us with three from the same building, it won't work. Then, you'll bring your scrolls to the tower."

She rolled up the map, smirking, and returned it to her pouch. "You'll be able to tell if you're in the right place by the mark on the door – it'll look like this." Anko held up a piece of paper with the Konoha leaf drawn on it in red. "A couple of rules: One, you aren't allowed to damage the buildings, one of our ANBU designed them and he's very proud of them. If you do, I can't guarantee he won't go and hunt you down. Two, there's a time limit, you've got 120 hours – that's five days – to get your scrolls and get to the center. You aren't allowed to quit during that time. You either pass, or you fail. Three, you've got to get through together. If you lose a teammate, the entire team is disqualified and you all fail the exam. And finally, number four: You aren't allowed to open the scrolls while you're in the forest. Remember, as chuunin you'll have to handle classified information. Part of this test is to determine if your trustworthy enough to handle that kind of mission."

Anko scanned the crowd, watching the faces of the chuunin hopefuls. "Right, fill out your paperwork and then come to the desk to turn it in and get a gate assignment."

"Um, Proctor-san?" a Kumo ninja had raised a hand. "You never did say what these forms were for."

Anko turned, allowing one of her manic grins to cross her face. "Oh, that? Well, the odds of there being deaths in this part of the exam are pretty high, and if I don't get you to sign those then it means a lot of paperwork for me when you die."

There were some quiet mutterings of 'she's nuts' as the genin filled out their paperwork. Hinata, Shino, and Akai were one of the first teams to approach the desk. Hinata handed in the paperwork, and one of the chuunin offered Akai a basket filled with strips of paper. Pulling one out, Akai read off the number. "We've got gate number 36."

One of the chuunin recorded their gate number, and the three headed off around the training ground to their gate. As soon as they went out of sight of the crowd at the desk, a low whistle caught their attention. Akai twitched, looking at his two teammates only to see them looking up at the fence. He followed their gaze to see the proctor standing on the top of the fence, arms crossed.

Grinning, she jumped down to land in front of the trio. "Alright, kohai mine," she said, hands on her hips. "I've got money riding on you two, so make it good."

Thoroughly confused, Akai watched as his teammates bowed their heads. "But of course, Anko-senpai," Shino said, a smile evident behind his collar.

"We won't disappoint you, senpai." Hinata said quietly.

Anko's grin widened. "Good. See you on the other side!" With a handseal, the grinning figure dissolved into a pile of dirt.

"Tsuchi bunshin again," Hinata sighed.

Shino was frowning. "After the exam, remind me to see if Anko-senpai would be willing to help me refine mine."

The trio set off for their gate, arriving with a few minutes to spare before the exam officially began. A chuunin was waiting beside the gate, dangling a ring of keys in his hand. Upon seeing them, he wordlessly turned to unlock the gate and unwound the chain. Not two minutes later, the P.A. system crackled into life. "Alright, everybody. The gates will be opening in one minute. You have 120 hours from the minute I say go. Any last requests, make 'em now." Anko's voice died away, presumably to allow said last requests.

"The second test in the Chuunin Exams begins now!"

The chuunin swung the gate wide, and the three took off into the forest, taking to the trees. Once out of sight of the fence, the trio found a spot in the trees where a number of branches grew close together. Quickly setting a few simple traps, they huddled together for a hasty conference.

"We've got under five days, limited rations. Our targets are the scrolls in any three of five buildings. Once we get them, we have to make it to the tower without losing them." Shino summarized.

Akai shook his head, ticking off points on his fingers. "We have no idea what any of these buildings look like, or where they are. The older teams just as often prey off of the younger ones in these things, so we'll be dodging them as well. Of course, that's not mentioning the Forest of Death's regular beasts."

Frowning slightly, Hinata activated her Byakugan. This was the difficult part – while the Byakugan allowed her to see nearly 360 degrees, the amount of information it provided could be overwhelming. As her eyes adjusted to the influx of chakra, she nearly fell over. She'd forgotten the presence the forest had.

Chakra is a funny thing. As a mix of two energies, physical and spiritual, all living things have it in some form. In humans, chakra is usually a fairly even mix of the two, but in animals and plants, physical energy predominates. The different gradations of physical to spiritual ratios appeared as different shades to the Byakugan, and every so often an older member of the Hyuuga would spend time adding to the clan's bank of information on their dojutsu, trying to quantify the differences. Hinata knew of some treatises in which the author had argued that the intelligence of an organism could be quantified by the ratio, declaring that those with a higher percentage of spiritual energy were more intelligent.

Hinata had no way of knowing if this was true or not. What she did know was that there were a _lot_ of living things in the area, and if she didn't watch it she'd get overwhelmed.

"Hinata?" Akai asked. Shino looked concerned, reaching out to steady her in case she fell.

"I'm fine," she said, quickly. "There's just so much in here, it'll take me a while to sort through it all."

Shino nodded. "We'll find a secure area and stand lookout, so that you can have time to start searching."

After some discussion it was decided that their current location was actually pretty safe, and they upgraded their traps. Shino managed to get his hands on a colony of jumping leeches and coaxed them into a position that covered one of their flanks. Akai got creative with wire, kunai, and explosives. Hinata kept her traps simple, but loaded them with poisoned weapons.

Once the area had been rigged to their satisfaction, Hinata settled in the middle of the branch and activated her Byakugan. She began sweeping the area around her, looking for anything unusual. She quickly noted the locations of four of the other teams, and passed them on to her teammates, before going deeper.

It took a good minute and a half for her to find the first one. Disregarding her peripheral vision, Hinata focused in on it. It appeared to be some sort of shrine, except it was built halfway up a tree. None of the other teams seemed to have reached it yet. Funnily enough, the structure shimmered oddly in her vision, and it took her a moment to realize that she was seeing chakra traces in the building itself. It took only a little longer to find the second, something that looked like a small palace built into the roots of one of the great trees. Like the shrine, it shimmered oddly.

Deactivating her Byakugan, Hinata made her report. "I found two of the buildings. One is about 35 degrees east of north, and about two kilometers away. It's halfway up the side of a tree, and it looks like a shrine. The other is 20 degrees west of north, and about three and a half kilometers. It's a traditional palace, tucked in the roots of a tree." She paused. "There's something strange about them…there's traces of chakra running through them."

Akai frowned. "Genjutsu?"

Hinata bit her lip. "I don't think so, but I'm not sure."

"We can figure that out when we get there." Shino moved to collect the net snare he'd placed near the leeches. "Let's head for the shrine first. If we can get started on collecting the scrolls today, then we will have a lead on our competition."

The other two quickly broke down their traps as well before they launched themselves into the next tree, bounding quickly through the forest.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As soon as she'd finished the paperwork involved with the start of the second part of the exams and all of her helpers had reported in, Anko took off across the forest for the tower. Once she arrived, she made a beeline for the surveillance room. Some of the ANBU had installed small cameras in the forest surrounding the buildings, and Anko couldn't wait to see her kohai at work.

Settling down on the couch, Anko yanked a passing chuunin aside long enough to tell him that all her paperwork was to be sent to her, and informed him that "You'd better not call me for anything unless it's a real emergency, or you'll be joining me for target practice."

The chuunin skittered away, wanting to avoid the Wrath of Anko. A chuckle behind her heralded the arrival of her ANBU escort. "You may have been a little too hard on the guy, Anko-san."

Anko shrugged, supremely unconcerned. "He'll get over it."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shino, Hinata, and Akai reached the shrine within fifteen minutes. They stopped when the tree Hinata had identified came within range of sight. Circling around the tree, they checked for guards, traps, and other teams. Finding no other teams, no guards, and only a few traps, they quickly approached the shrine. When they got closer, Shino stiffened.

"What is it?" Hinata whispered.

"My hive senses chakra in the walls…but it's not a genjutsu." He muttered. A crease appeared between his eyebrows and he tilted his head back, looking the structure over. "It's almost like traces of a jutsu."

Hinata bit her lip. "Maybe a jutsu was used in construction?" she whispered.

"Guys?" Akai hissed. "Can we hold the brainstorming session later? Let's get what we need and get out of here."

Hinata flushed and Shino gave a slight cough, but the pair managed to pull their attention from the mystery of chakra traces to examine the building. Via a combination of Byakugan, kikai, and judicious application of pressure on a number of panels, they managed to locate three hiding places, each still containing their scroll. As Akai and Shino worked the first one – a recess above the lintel – open, Hinata began examining the second, a box set into the wall panels. She managed to get the panel halfway open by the time the two boys had finished, and was well on her way to reaching the scroll when they approached her.

"Um, is this a good idea?" Akai whispered. "We've got what we need, let's get out of here."

"A-ah, I kn-know, but," Hinata's stutter came back as she struggled with the wood, "Senpai only said that we need at least three scrolls of different types. She did not say that we couldn't take extras."

Wicked smirks crossed both boy's faces. "Cut down on the competition," Shino muttered.

"And have insurance in case something goes screwy! Hinata, you're a genius." Akai whispered.

"Akai, if you will get the last scroll, I'll keep lookout," Shino whispered. The older genin nodded, then set to work opening the last space, a hollow floorboard covered by the tatami mats.

He was just setting the last mat back into place when Shino tensed. "Incoming team," he hissed.

Hinata was next to him in moments, staring off into the trees. "We need to move."

Akai stood, stowing the scroll in his pouch and checking to see that nothing was out of place. "Which way was the palace?"

"West and north a bit. I can't be more specific without the Byakugan."

"We head west," Shino hissed. "Circle around later."

Akai launched himself out of the tree, Hinata only moments behind him. A second later, Shino followed. A few hundred meters into their dash, Hinata took the lead and began bounding upward, headed for the higher branches. The boys followed, and after about twenty minutes of bouncing madly from branch to branch, the three stopped among the top branches of a tree. Hinata activated her Byakugan. "The palace is about three-quarters of a kilometer due north of here," she reported. "There's a team approaching it from the north-west, though, about a half-kilometer away."

"Do they know it's there, or are they just wandering?" Akai asked.

Hinata frowned, the veins around her eyes pulsing madly as she focused her vision. "It's difficult to say. Their movements are…erratic, almost, but they keep moving in the right direction." She blinked suddenly. "One of them is using some sort of doton jutsu. I can't tell exactly what it does, but every time he casts it, they change their course a few degrees."

"Probably a technique that tells them what the earth around them looks like," Shino said. "My guess is that they are using it to find the palace's foundations."

Akai wasn't quite as interested in the mechanics as his teammates. "Soo…what now? Do we wait for them to finish going through the place and then see if we can find anything, or do we see if we can't find one of the other buildings?"

Hinata closed her eyes, straining her Byakugan. She began looking for more buildings, searching by shape and, when that failed, by looking for chakra residue, like the shrine and palace had had. That did get her some results at the edge of her vision, and she concentrated on the shimmer of chakra, ignoring her peripheral vision to zoom in on it. Something that looked like a small office building appeared, tucked between a pair of trees next to the river. "I found one more," she told them. "It looks like an office building, and it's about six kilometers away, around 40 degrees west of south, by the river."

Shino frowned slightly, considering the situation. "I propose that we wait for the team at the palace to move away, then see what we can find. We take as many scrolls as we can, and then start heading towards the office building. We can stop for the night somewhere between the two, then raid the office building in the morning and decide what to do from there."

Akai nodded. "Sounds good to me. I take it we want to avoid the other teams?"

Shino inclined his head. "That would be wise, yes."

The team settled in to wait for the other team to move out of the way, Hinata pulling ration bars from her pack. "We might not have time to have a proper dinner," she told them, passing the bars around.

An hour later, the other team had found the palace, presumably searched it, and left again. With Hinata in the lead, the three approached the palace, alert for any traps. As they were about to approach the doors, Shino's arm shot out in front of his teammates.

"What is it?" Akai hissed.

"Cameras," Shino muttered, pointing to one of the large roots near the door. "It looks like the other team disturbed whatever was hiding them."

Hinata bit her lip. "Then…at the shrine…"

"There may have been cameras we missed," Shino confirmed.

Akai hissed a couple of curses under his breath. "There's nothing for it, we'll just have to avoid these." Shino and Hinata nodded in assent.

Moving carefully around what they guessed to be the camera's line of vision, the trio made their way inside the palace. Once inside, they were surprised to note that the building was entirely bare, without any of the furniture or other items expected of a palace. It was quite frankly eerie. Quickly ducking under an inexpertly-set trap, most likely the work of the previous team, the three began their search for hiding places. Akai found the one the other team had broken into, a panel in the support beams of the roof hanging loose, exposing the space behind it.

Shino found two in the front rooms, while Hinata spotted a third in a room further inside. A brief but furious argument broke out – it would be faster to divide forces, but nobody wanted to leave a team member alone. Hinata finally won out, but with concessions. She could go and attempt to open the hiding space she'd found on her own, but a good portion of Shino's hive would accompany her and if she wasn't back in seven minutes then they'd come after her.

Once Hinata had disappeared into the palace interior, a small swarm of kikai following her overhead, the two boys fell on the hiding places they'd discovered. Five minutes later, Akai was easing a floorboard back into place while Shino coaxed a scroll out of a corner post. Ten seconds before her seven minutes were up, Hinata appeared out of the gloom of the interior.

"Wait," Shino commanded, stopping her before she got close. "Password?"

"Inuzuka Akamaru," Hinata said softly, stepping aside to allow Shino's kikai to return to him. "It was inside a wall," she whispered, showing them the scroll before tucking it inside her coat.

After giving the place a once-over to ensure they'd covered all signs of their ever being there, the three left the palace, making tracks towards the river. By the time they reached it, twilight had come on. Finding a good place among the roots of a tree, the team put together a basic campsite, setting up a few traps and arranging for a place to curl up out of the wind. They decided to set up a watch and take shifts. They agreed on two and a half hour watches, dividing up the night between them. As Hinata had the best twilight vision, and had expended a fair amount of chakra on her Byakugan throughout the day, she got last watch, in the early morning when the sun was just starting to rise. Shino, capable of using his hive to fall asleep quickly and easily, took middle watch, while Akai took first, as he was still energetic from the excitement of the day.

The night passed uneventfully, and when Hinata roused her teammates in the faint light of dawn they were largely rested and ready to go on. Hinata hadn't seen any teams near the office building, so the three of them followed the riverbed downstream to the new target.

They managed to get to the office building an hour and a half later. Like the palace, it was completely empty inside, and like the shrine, it looked like someone had taken the wood of the surrounding trees and pulled it into a building like molding clay. Again, there were echoes of chakra running through the walls, making it shimmer oddly to Hinata's Byakugan and exciting Shino's hive. This time, they only found two scrolls, two of the hiding places already having been looted. They quickly retrieved the scrolls and got out, retreating to the forest and setting up traps to plan out their next move.

Akai was all for heading to the tower. They had their necessary scrolls, it'd be a good idea to get out of the field of battle before a stronger team got to them and stole the scrolls. Hinata and Shino, however, were torn. The thought of finding at least one more base and raiding it was incredibly tempting.

Eventually, they came to a compromise. They'd head for the tower, avoiding the other teams, and if they managed to get a bead on one of the other buildings and could get to it without too much risk, then they'd go for it.

As it turned out, Shino found the next building. About halfway to the tower, he suddenly stopped, dropping to a halt on a branch. Hinata and Akai overshot, but took a quick hop back to join him.

"What is it?" Akai asked impatiently.

"My hive seems to sense another building. Hinata?"

Wordlessly, Hinata activated her Byakugan and began searching. She found a small watchtower growing out of the side of one of the greater trees about half a kilometer away…the only problem was, a team seemed to have set up base there.

Deciding that the chances of losing in a fight with another team were not worth an extra set of scrolls, the three took off as fast as they could, practically sprinting for the tower.

By noon, they'd arrived at the tower. Entering by the closest door, they were confronted by a set of chutes, each labeled with a different color and the kanji for one of the five elements. Pulling the scrolls they'd collected from their hiding places in pouches and pockets, they compared them. The three scrolls they'd collected from the shrine were tan and had the kanji for 'wind', the three from the palace were brown with the kanji for 'earth', and the two from the office building were blue with the kanji for 'water'.

Akai frowned. "Is it really this simple?"

Shino cocked his head to one side. "Only one way to find out." Taking a single set of scrolls, he placed each in the appropriate chute, then jumped back as a cloud of smoke billowed in front of him. The three dropped into fighting stances, only to relax as Kurenai's form appeared through the smoke, a smile on her face.

"Well done you three," she complimented them. "You're the first team to get in."

"Sensei," Hinata breathed. "Are you serious?"

Kurenai smiled. "Completely."

Akai grinned happily, and Shino smiled behind his collar. Hinata held out the other sets of scrolls. "We collected extras," she told her sensei. "J-just in case."

Kurenai's eyebrows went up. "Your senpai is going to be pleased. Come on," she said, turning towards a door that had appeared in the back of the room. "Let's get you inside. I don't know about you, but after time in the Forest of Death I always want to relax for a while."

Anko, who'd been watching the exchange from the surveillance room, was bouncing happily in her chair. Her kohai's team was the first in, had extra scrolls (which, in her opinion, showed good initiative), and no injuries! She had definitely won her bet with Raido and Asuma, and that wasn't even getting into the bragging rights!

Team Kurenai was assigned a room in the tower, and spent the next three and a half days resting, doing some light sparring, and waiting for other teams to come in. In the evening of day three, Team Gai came in, bearing four different scrolls and lightly injured. Late on the fourth day, a team from Kumo stumbled in, three scrolls in hand and with a badly injured teammate. The genin in question was whisked off to the hospital for treatment, his teammates ordered by their sensei to stay in the tower and wait for instructions. Finally, in the 118th hour, a team from Iwa made their way into the tower, with four scrolls of three types. The kunoichi of the team was heavily injured, one of her teammates carrying her on his back. No sooner had the team been signed in than medics were swarming on the scene, and she was quickly removed to the hospital as well.

At the end of the last hour, the teams who'd made it in met up in the indoor arena the preliminary round had been held in during the prior exam. As the 120th hour finished, Anko appeared in front of them.

"Alright, for those of you here, congratulations! You've passed the second test." She smirked at them all. "I'm gonna hand you lot over to the proctor for the next test now, if he can get his ass in here."

A puff of smoke appeared at her side, and a jounin with a senbon in his mouth stepped out of it. "No need to stress out, Anko, I'm not late."

Anko made an irritated noise, but subsided, arms crossed.

"Right," the man said. "My name's Shiruani Genma, and I'll be the proctor for the third part of the exam. Now, the third part's a tournament-style series of battles between you. The victor of each fight will advance to the next round, and there will eventually be a single winner. In previous exams, we've had to have a preliminary round, because sometimes too many teams make it through, but ten of you should be a good number."

He pulled a bag out of his pocket. "To make it fair, you'll be drawing numbers from here. The number you draw will dictate who you face."

Genma held out the bag, letting each of the genin draw a slip of paper with a number on it. Going down the list of numbers, he had each of the genin give their names when he called their number. Shino drew two, Hinata drew three. When he'd gone through all ten, he turned the piece of paper around, allowing them to see the lineup.

"Take a good look at this and remember where you are in the tournament. Now, the tournament will be held in two week's time at the stadium in the village, so that the daimyo and Kages can have time to get here. You've got those two weeks to do some last-minute training and prep for the tournament. The tournament starts at 10.00, and if you're late, you'll be disqualified. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Alright, go ahead and get on out of here."

The sensei moved in to collect their teams. Kurenai beckoned Shino, Hinata, and Akai over to follow her, and they moved into the tunnel joining the tower to the outside world.

"Your sensei has told me he will be taking over your training in the weeks before the tournament, Akai-san." Kurenai told him. "As for you two," she turned to Shino and Hinata, "Your senpai and I will be working together. You will train with us on alternate days, using the days you are not with us to work on your own. This way, we can train both of you without having to worry about jeopardizing your chances."

The pair nodded in silent understanding. When the group exited the tunnel, they were met by Akai's sensei and his two teammates, a serious-looking boy in a chuunin vest and a cheerful-looking girl on crutches.

As the three teammates exchanged greetings, Akai's sensei moved forward to greet Kurenai. As they swapped pleasantries, he noticed the glances of almost-longing Hinata and Shino threw at his team. His complete team. To break the awkwardness of the moment, he turned to the pair.

"So, you're Shino-san and Hinata-san. It's a pleasure to meet you." The pair looked startled, but bowed, returning their own greetings. "Thank you for accepting my student into your team. Akai tells me that you're one of the best teams he's ever had to work with."

The pair glanced at each other, before the little Hyuuga girl looked back at him. "It has been a pleasure to work with Akai-san," she said softly.

Akai, laughingly brushing off the good-natured jibes of his teammates, dragged them over to introduce them to Shino and Hinata. Moving in a cluster, the little group returned to the village.

Akai's sensei took advantage of the walk back to fall into step next to Kurenai. "I've been keeping an eye on their progress through the exam," he said softly, nodding at the group of teenagers ahead. "I'm glad Akai got your kids, Kurenai-san. They're going to be good."

Kurenai smiled fondly at her students, watching as Kaede drew Hinata into chatting about medicines while Akai and Osamu double-teamed Shino, all but forcing him into a discussion of traps. "I have always thought so," she said.

When they got back to the village, Akai's team coaxed team Kurenai into joining them for lunch. After the meal, Shino and Hinata left the group, heading back to their respective houses. They had two weeks, and a lot of work to do.

* * *

[A/N] Ummm….Hi? Sorry this took me so long, it's uncomfortably close to my fortnight deadline…On the other hand, this chapter was originally longer than the previous three put together before I decided it was getting unwieldy and broke it into two. Part three of the exam (aka the tournament) will be up in a few days, or when my beta gets done with it.

I have had a couple of questions regarding pairings in this fic, so I'll address them briefly here. Firstly, Shino and Hinata are not going to be a couple. Their relationship is going to be a best friends/siblings relationship, and if anything becoming romantically involved would cheapen what they already have. Or if you want to look at it another way, Shino is going to become the brother Hinata should have had in Neji. In fact, the pair is going to be so wound up in their career that neither starts a romantic relationship during this fic. Any romances involving either of them will be referenced in the (currently loosely planned) epilogue, which will be set about five years post-fic. As to pairings in general, they're going to be largely peripheral. There will be snippets of NejiTen and ShikaTema, and I might toy around with Ino a bit.

Thanks as usual to **Pyrozia**, my beloved lil'sis and beta. She's requested NejiTen, ShikaTema, and InoCho, so…I'm going to bow to her wishes for Ino before she refuses to beta for me any more.


	5. Tourney

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Tourney

The two weeks between the second and third parts of the Exams passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the tournament, the last part of the Chuunin Exam.

The morning of the Exam tournament was cloudy, but the clouds weren't heavy enough for rain, drifting silently above the village. In their separate homes Shino and Hinata both got up early, armed themselves silently, and left with a couple of hours to spare before the tournament.

Hinata visited Kiba's grave in the cemetery, lighting incense and gently dusting off his stone. "The tournament's today, Kiba-kun," she told him as she worked. "I face a Kumo-nin in the second match, and Shino-kun faces an Iwa-nin in the first. There's a chance we'll be facing each other in the second round." She ran her fingers over his name, holding enough chakra in her hand to attract the dirt out of the corners.

"I really hope we get promoted."

Shino, meanwhile, was making tracks for the Memorial Stone. This was, he realized as he landed in the clearing, becoming a habit. Setting that though aside for later consideration, he approached the Stone and took his favorite spot in front of Kiba's name. _This is it,_ he told his teammate. _It all comes down to today. Based on information I've collected about our opponents, I will most likely be facing Hinata in the second round._ A slight smile crossed his face. _You'd be proud of her. I'm not sure I can beat her._ Shino allowed himself twenty minutes of light meditation before he stood up, bowed to the Stone, and left. He had an appointment to make.

Shino and Hinata met up with each other as they crossed the village. Exchanging a quiet good morning, the pair walked together to Inuzuka Tsume's house. The Inuzuka clan lived in a group of houses not far from the village wall, where there was a large amount of open space for the dogs to run around in. Hana met them at the door.

"Come on in, you two," she told them, waving the Haimaru triplets away from the door. Obediently, the pair took off their shoes and followed Hana into the kitchen, dodging the energetic triplets as they all clamored to say hello. "You hungry?" she called over her shoulder. "I've got some breakfast left."

Shino and Hinata shook their heads and refused politely. Their attention was on the woman sitting at the table, her great black and white dog resting at her feet. Inuzuka Tsume had raised her children alone, their father having gone MIA shortly after Kiba's birth. She was a strong, proud, hot-tempered woman who loved a good fight and was fiercely loyal, but since the death of her youngest child and only son she'd retreated into herself, taking more and more missions and leaving the day-to-day running of the clan to Hana. Among the clans and jounin corps, it was an open question if one day she'd request an A-rank and not come back.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Inuzuka-san," Hinata said softly.

Tsume graced her son's teammates with a tired smirk, looking every one of her thirty-six years. "Hey kids, what're you doin' here? Don't you have an exam today?"

"Actually, that's why we came," Shino said. "We would consider it a great honor were you to come to the tournament." He turned to include Hana in the invitation.

"I have most of today off," Hana said, watching her mother. "I'm on call, but unless one of the tracking hounds comes in injured they shouldn't need me."

A minute later, Tsume gave an expressive shrug. "Eh, why not. It's not like I've got a mission today anyways." She stood, stretching. "Tsunade-sama's been keepin' a lot of us close to home, what with all the foreign nin in the village. Wouldn't surprise me if she was stackin' the deck just in case we get invaded again."

Shino smiled slightly. "My father made much the same comment, Inuzuka-san."

"An' while we're on the subject, will you two knock it off? I've told you before, stop callin' me 'Inuzuka-san', it's too formal for my taste."

Hinata bowed, hiding a smile. "As Inuzuka-san wishes." She ducked the good-natured slobber attack from Kuromaru, only for the Haimaru triplets to join the game, all trying to lick her face.

Tsume chuckled, watching as the tiny kunoichi ducked and dodged around the dogs and her teammate jumped quickly to stand next to the kitchen wall, out of the way. "Go on, get out of here," she said good-naturedly. "We'll come an' watch you two. Just make it good."

Shino bowed. "We will, Inuzuka-san."

Hinata managed to escape the dogs long enough to say a quick goodbye, and then the two left the Inuzuka holdings, heading for the great arena and the last part of the Exam.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The ten contestants stood in a row in the arena, listening to the murmur of the crowd. Finally, the Kage appeared in their box, Tsunade, for once dressed in the formal robes and hat, flanked by the Tsuchikage and the Raikage. The two male Kage took their seats as she stepped to the railing. "Welcome to Konoha's Chuunin Selection Exam," she called, projecting her voice so she could be heard by the entire arena. "This is the main tournament, pitting the participants who made it through the earlier rounds against each other. These ten are the best of the candidates, and today they compete for promotion. Let the final exam begin!"

The crowd roared, and Genma turned to the row of genin. "Right, you know the drill. This is a no-holds-barred one-on-one battle. You fight until dead or incapacitated, but if I think the fight's over, I'll step in and stop you. The first match, between Aburame Shino of Konoha and Yoshida Ken of Iwa, will begin momentarily. The rest of you, take the stairs up to the competitor's box."

Eight of the genin turned quietly and headed for the stairs. As she passed Shino, Hinata smiled softly and nodded to him, silently wishing her teammate good luck. Once in the competitor's box, she moved to the railing so as to get the best possible view of the match. Shino looked almost small next to the Iwa-nin, who stood at least a head taller than him and carried a katana-like blade strapped to his back.

Down in the arena proper, Shino turned to face his opponent, keeping his hands in his pockets. As he waited for Genma to start the match, he quickly reviewed what he knew about his opponent's fighting styles. _Yoshida Ken, aged about sixteen. Uses primarily doton jutsu, but can probably use that blade of his effectively, or he would not carry it. He's bigger and stronger, but I believe that I am faster._

Genma glanced between the two. "You two ready?" Upon receiving an affirmative, he raised a hand. "Hajime!" Dropping it, he dodged backwards. Proctoring was all well and good, but he'd rather not get caught in the crossfire.

The two genin stood silently for a moment, facing off. Before long, Ken lost patience and launched into a doton jutsu, sending claws of stone scything up from the ground at Shino's feet. The claws connected….and passed right through as the Aburame dissolved into a swarm of kikai.

Snarling a curse under his breath, the Iwa-nin drew his blade and took on a guard stance, searching for his opponent. He didn't have long to wait, as a flight of kunai came sailing out of the trees at the rim of the arena. Ken managed to knock most of them away, but one came in a little too close and he was forced to dodge…straight into the path of a second kunai in the first's shadow. He escaped serious injury, but it caught him right above his right eye, opening up a shallow cut. Blood dripped down his face and into his eye, forcing him to blink.

Shino observed this with satisfaction. He had been admittedly hoping for the eye itself, but leaving his opponent half-blinded by his own blood wasn't too bad either. Readying a couple of smoke bombs Anko had helped him design over the two week break, he launched them at the Iwa-nin still standing in the open.

The bombs exploded in midair, releasing copious amounts of irritant-laced smoke. He could hear Ken coughing from inside the smoke. Taking a moment to ensure his goggles firmly covered his eyes and pulling his collar up over his nose and mouth, Shino substituted to a spot inside the smoke. Through the haze, he could see his opponent coughing, blinded by the tears streaming from his eyes and the blood from the cut on his temple. Ducking in behind him, he sent a punishing strike to the base of the skull, knocking him down. Moving fast, Shino stuck again, this time at the arm, forcing the Iwa-nin to release his blade on pain of broken bones. Kicking it away, he sent a mental command to his kikai, a group of which quickly absconded with it.

As the smoke slowly dissipated, Shino kept beating down on his opponent with brutal strikes to the joints and back of his head, keeping him distracted while more of the kikai crawled out of his coat and onto the downed nin. Before long, Ken stropped struggling, disoriented from a combination of the blows and chakra loss.

Quickly yanking the older boy's hands behind his back, Shino bound them together with a roll of wire before placing a knee on his wrists. Drawing a kunai from his pocket, he leaned forward, yanking Ken's head up by the hair and laying the blade against his throat. "Yield."

By this time, most of the smoke was gone, and the spectator's could clearly see Shino kneeling with a knee on his older, larger opponent's back and a blade at his throat. Ken struggled, but Shino pressed down with his knee and the kunai, half-consciously summoning more of his hive to land on his opponent. "The blade is poisoned. You are incapacitated and out of chakra. Yield."

Growling, Ken stilled. "I yield."

Genma, who had cautiously landed on the field when the smoke cloud dissipated, raised his hand. "Match one, winner Aburame Shino!"

Ignoring the applause, Shino removed his kunai from Ken's throat, moving to undo the wire. Once he'd pulled it free, he stood quickly and took a few steps backward, calling his hive to him. Ken shuddered as the bugs poured from under his shirt, returning to their commander's body. The group that had taken the Iwa-nin's blade returned, and Shino laid the sword down at its owner's side.

The defeated nin slowly pushed himself upright and sheathed his blade. "You're good," he rasped. "I've fought insect-users before, but only the best can get their hives into a gas bomb."

Shino shrugged. "I spent some of the time during the break developing an airborne irritant that would not affect my kikai."

Genma, who'd been listening with interest, suddenly picked up on the drop in the noise coming from the crowd. "Let's move it along, guys. The crowd wants the next match."

Shino nodded, then turned and bowed briefly to the Kage's box before walking to the stairs to the competitor's box. Ken sketched a salute before turning towards the group of medics waiting at another door.

Clearing his throat, Genma called out the next match. "Second match, Hyuuga Hinata of Konoha versus Gouman of Kumo!"

Hinata turned to take the stairs. As she passed her teammate on her way down, he cocked his head to one side and smirked slightly, an Aburame gesture that she'd learned meant 'good luck'. She entered the arena to find Gouman standing in the center near Genma – he'd apparently eschewed the stairs in favor of jumping from the box.

Many of the shinobi in the crowd looked on interestedly. Gouman was probably about sixteen or seventeen, and he was not only tall, towering at least a foot over his petite opponent, but heavily muscled and heavily armed. Next to him, Hinata looked positively doll-like.

"Ready?" Genma asked.

Gouman grinned. "Absolutely."

"Hai," Hinata nodded.

"Hajime!"

Gouman lazily drew a blade from one of the sheaths on his back. "Alright, little white-eyes, give up now and I'll go easy on you."

As a reply, he got a handful of senbon. In the time it took for him to block them, the caster had vanished.

Taking to the trees, Hinata activated her Byakugan, frowning slightly. Gouman was bigger, stronger, and heavier, with a longer reach. Getting in close would be stupid, even if she was faster. She'd have to keep this at a distance. Fortunately for her, the position she'd spent the past four and a half months grooming herself for involved a lot of distance attacks

Taking a deep breath, Hinata pushed herself into the open, drawing a couple of kunai with attached explosives from her pouch. Launching them at her opponent, she gave a gratified sigh when he did no more than the bare minimum to evade them.

"You'll have to do better than that, white-eyes!" Gouman called. His posturing looked less impressive when the bombs went off, causing him to stumble. As he regained his feet, he heard the soft puff of air that meant a kawarimi, but was unable to dodge before something struck the back of his right shoulder hard, and he felt the prickle of breaking skin. By the time he'd regained enough of his balance and turned, he was faced with a chunk of rock and dirt.

Hinata landed back at the edge of the tree line, having substituted herself with the debris kicked up by her bombs. Drawing another pair of poisoned senbon from her pouch, she watched for an opening. Both Kurenai and Anko had been working with her on developing a style that would allow her to wear down larger, stronger opponents without too much damage to herself. While thus far incomplete, the three of them had figured that, for the purpose of the exams, she could use kawarimi to stay out of her opponent's reach while dealing damage.

Snarling angrily, Gouman placed the hilt of his blade between his teeth, freeing up his hands. Reaching up to his shoulder, he yanked out the senbon and tossed them away, before beginning a string of hand seals. His right arm was slow to respond, sluggish. When he finished the string of seals and tried to unleash his technique, the charge of electricity he'd been building blew up in his face, some of the energy channeling through the metal of his blade and shocking him.

While Gouman was still reeling from his failed technique, Hinata substituted again, appearing behind his left shoulder. One hand plunged the senbon deep into the muscle over a pressure point, the other lashed out to damage his chakra network, blue flickering between her fingers. No sooner had she made contact than she performed another kawarimi, landing safely beyond his range. Drawing a poisoned kunai, she substituted again.

This time, she went for the backs of his legs, aiming to cut the tendons and hamstring him. She wasn't quite fast enough, as he kicked her in the shoulder, but she did manage to score a long cut down the calf muscle. Darting backward, she baited him into coming after her. Gouman was slowing down, his arms largely useless and the cut she'd given his leg pulling painfully, but he was still clenching his blade in his hand and swinging whenever he thought she was in range.

Finally, Hinata managed to trick him into overextending and managed to leave a set of cuts along his leg muscle. He stumbled as he turned, roaring in pain and anger. She threw the kunai at him, distracting him while she summoned chakra to her hands and lashed out, further crippling his arms. As he started to overbalance and fall forward, she spun behind him and struck hard in the center of his back, level with his heart.

Gouman went down like a ton of bricks, and though he struggled, couldn't manage to force himself upright. Hinata stayed out of his reach, all the same.

"Surrender," she told him softly.

"White-eyed bitch!" he snarled.

"I held back on the amount of chakra I put into my strikes, but you will still require medical treatment. Furthermore, the more you struggle, the more the poison will spread throughout your body. Surrender."

Genma landed near the pair, deciding it was safe enough to get in close. Gouman was still struggling to push himself upright, spitting curses at Hinata, making references to her sexual history, her parentage, her clan, and her village.

Hinata's eyes turned steely. "As you wish." Drawing another pair of senbon, she leapt forward and plunged them into his shoulders at the base of his neck. Gouman gave another hiss of pain and managed to get out a few more insults before going limp.

Genma tried not to shiver. When Hinata spoke like that, it was impossible to forget that she was descended from a long line of very scary people.

Said descendant turned to him. "It's just a fast-acting sedative, he should survive without any problems." Her voice was still cold.

Raising his hand, Genma shouted "Winner of match two, Hyuuga Hinata!" Gesturing briefly to the medics on standby at the edge of the arena, he turned to the petite victor. "So, out of curiosity, was all of that poisoned?"

Hinata gave him a slight little smile. "Everything I used today, yes." She turned her gaze on the medics transferring Gouman's limp body to a stretcher. "If you'll excuse me Shiruani-san, I want to tell the medics what I used so that they can treat Gouman-san properly."

Genma shook his head slightly as he watched the little Hyuuga girl speak quietly to one of the medics before leaving the arena, making a mental note to avoid getting on her bad side. "Third match, Hyuuga Neji versus Kawaguchi Akai, both of Konoha!" he shouted, pushing thoughts of all-seeing poisoners from his mind. A moment later, the Hyuuga prodigy landed in a graceful crouch at the base of the wall, before standing up and walking to the middle of the arena. Akai, meanwhile, decided to follow his temporary teammate's example and use the stairs.

Neji watched his opponent carefully as he crossed the arena. Kawaguchi Akai was somewhere between one and two years older than him, and therefore a few inches taller, although a little skinny for his age. He was a first-generation shinobi, and as far as Neji knew any shinobi blood in his family had been so watered down as to be negligible. He carried an extra pouch next to his kunai, and Neji had picked up traces of chakra from it – tags, perhaps?

There had been a time when Neji would have dismissed Akai as a threat, believing that as he was from a civilian family he would be incapable of facing the power of the Hyuuga clan and the Byakugan. That, however, was before Uzumaki Naruto, a clanless, kinless, dead-last loudmouth had beaten him to the ground.

When the pair met in the middle of the field, Neji was surprised to see that the older boy was smirking. He cheerfully acknowledged Genma's 'Ready?', then to Neji's great surprise simply settled into a taijutsu stance at the cry of 'Hajime'. That made no sense, but not wanting to waste the opening the Hyuuga darted forward and struck.

It wasn't until he made contact that he'd realized he'd been played. Rather than impacting on flesh and internal organs, he'd hit a log. He just had time to notice the tag sparkling on the ground behind it before it exploded.

Akai watched the strike from where he crouched by the trees. _Right. He's not quite as fast as Hinata, but he's putting a hell of a lot more power into his strikes._ He'd managed to get a look at the log before the tag went off, and had gulped to see the scorched dents Neji's strike had left. He did not want to think about what that might do to his insides.

A moment was all he had before he smelled smoke from behind him. He jumped into the center of the arena again, milliseconds ahead of Neji's strike. The Hyuuga had managed to substitute himself out of the blast range, but his clothes were singed and the smell of smoke clung to him.

As he landed, Akai spun, throwing two kunai after himself. Neji deflected them upwards and kept following him. Grimacing, Akai reached back into his pouch, quickly reviewing everything he'd ever learned about the Hyuuga, most of it from Hinata. Neji operated off of two strengths – the Byakugan and the Jyuuken. However, if he wanted to use the latter on Akai, he'd have to get in close. That meant that if Akai wanted a chance, he'd have to keep Neji at a distance.

Easier said than done, unfortunately. Neji was fast, and Akai had no desire to keep bounding around like a frightened rabbit. Leading Neji back into the open, he drew some modified shuriken from his bag and threw them. As he'd expected, Neji dodged, but the shuriken landed in a rough circle around him. Twisting away, Akai made a handseal and closed his eyes. "Kai."

Even through his closed eyes and with his back turned, Akai saw the flash of bright white light that lit up the arena behind him. Moments later, he winced at the thundering _crack_ as the wave of sound washed over him. Turning back as quickly as he could, he pulled kunai trailing explosive tags and hurled them at his opponent.

While Akai generally used exploding tags and kunai, the shuriken he'd just used on Neji were his pride. He'd gone to a smith to have them specially modified to carry tags, and loaded them with flash-bangs. They'd never failed him.

Neji had had the Byakugan activated when the flash-bangs went off, and currently was in more pain than he'd suffered in a very long time. The bright light coming from all directions had rendered him temporarily blind, even though he'd unconsciously deactivated the Byakugan out of shock. The chorus of concussive explosions that followed a millisecond later had shaken him and made balancing difficult.

It was only Neji's talent for sensing shifts in the chakra around him that saved him from the tags. Still blinking spots out of his watering eyes and incapable of turning on the Byakugan just yet, he dropped into the Kaiten. It was sloppy, especially since he was still unbalanced, but he felt the tags detonate as they hit the edge of the sphere and kept going.

Akai, meanwhile, kept raining explosives on his opponent. It was decimating his supplies, but the more chakra he could force the Hyuuga to expend, the better. Finally, he had to pause for a moment to reach for more tags, and Neji made his move, ending the Kaiten and darting after him.

Finally shaking off the results of the flash-bangs, Neji took off after his opponent. He'd expended more chakra than he would have liked with that Kaiten, and he could only hope he didn't have to do it again anytime soon. Akai led him a merry chase across the field, zigzagging back and forth. Another rain of explosives forced Neji into a second, briefer Kaiten, which gave the older shinobi time to catch his breath. Akai cursed under his breath when he realized that he was running out of tags. That meant it was time to go to ninjutsu.

Neji, meanwhile, was growing frustrated. He was singed, had expended more chakra than was wise, considering that if he won he'd still have at least one more match, and had yet to land a real hit on his Akai. He needed to get in closer if he wanted to win.

_Get in closer_… he blinked, then fought the urge to kick himself. _Hyuuga Neji, you idiot, you've forgotten the basics_. Changing tactics, he began to herd Akai back toward the trees. Once the older boy was at the tree line, Neji took advantage of the smoke of an exploding tag to perform a kawarimi with a branch just behind his opponent.

Akai heard the 'pop' of the kawarimi just a little too late. Turning, he brought up a kunai only to have the Hyuuga dodge. He managed to open up a small cut along his jaw, but it wasn't big or deep enough to be anything more than an annoyance. He was quickly forced on the defensive by a quick series of Jyuuken strikes, Neji cutting him off every time he tried to summon his chakra to help him get away.

It was over in a matter of moments. A sudden flurry of strikes knocked Akai off balance, and the follow-up palm strike to his stomach brought him down. The older genin found himself lying on his back, staring up at the sky and breathing hard, while Neji crouched next to him, a hand held above his heart, deadly blue chakra shimmering between his fingers.

After a moment of silence, Akai slapped the ground. "I give." Genma reappeared to call the match, and Neji moved back, letting the chakra dissipate and Akai sit up. Akai stayed on the ground for a moment, catching his breath and his balance. As he pushed himself up, he grinned at Neji. "Good match."

Neji's face was largely blank, but the furrow between his eyebrows informed the older genin that the boy was confused, wary, or both. After a moment, he spoke. "You…as well. Good match."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Standing side by side at the railing of the competitor's box, Shino and Hinata watched quietly as Tenten took on a shinobi from Iwa, one Akiyama Shun. It was a long, messy fight, with lots of steel and earth flying, punctuated by explosions and the crashing of stone. In the end, Tenten pinned her opponent to the wall of the arena, covered in cuts and bruises, only to be smashed out of the air by the stone dragon he'd summoned just before she hit him. With Tenten woozy from the hit and her opponent about to faint from blood loss and chakra expenditure, Genma declared it a double-knockout, and the pair were shipped off to the infirmary.

Lee's bout was messy as well, but for a very different reason. The energetic shinobi was battling a kunoichi from Kumo, and was reluctant to go all-out on a girl. It wasn't until the girl in question insulted his haircut and the spandex, and snidely wondered "what kind of idiot would think that an appropriate appearance for a shinobi" that Lee got serious. After that, it was all over. Lee dropped his weights, kicked up his speed, and knocked her out in ten seconds flat. He was very apologetic and offered to escort his opponent to the infirmary, but Genma cut him off and told him to get back into the competitor's box because he had a match up next.

"The second round of the Chuunin Exam Tournament," Genma declared. "Match one, Aburame Shino vs. Hyuuga Hinata. Both competitors report to the arena."

Shino and Hinata moved out of the room in step, walking down the stairs together. Shino broke the silence. "As this is a promotion bout, it would be illogical to use our full strength."

Hinata nodded. "No killing strikes, no permanent damage?"

"Agreed. Flashy techniques?"

"There are civilians in the audience, and the daimyos bet on this event. Agreed. To knockout?"

Shino considered that a moment before responding. "Surrender or chakra depletion would be preferable, I think."

Hinata nodded. By this point they had reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped out into the arena, hearing the roar of the crowd.

Up in the Kage's box, Tsunade sat forward. "This'll be interesting," she murmured.

The Tsuchikage glanced sideways at her. "How so, Hokage?"

Tsunade's face took on an unreadable expression. "Those two are teammates."

The Raikage snorted. "So? If they can't face their teammate, then they're no good."

Lacing her fingers under her chin, Tsunade shook her head. "That's not the point. Their third teammate was KIA four…maybe four and a half months ago. Neither of them was on the mission. Since then, they've operated as a pair."

That got some raised eyebrows. Konoha was notorious for its emphasis on teamwork, a method that had served the village incredibly well through the Great Wars. However, it almost never broke the three man cell plus commander mold. That a pair this young was operating as a functional cell meant that the genin were something special for the rules to be bent for them.

"This isn't quite in the rules, Hokage, but how's their mission record?" The Raikage asked cautiously. Despite the image of the loud, impetuous, hot-tempered brawler he'd cultivated, the Raikage was not a stupid man. Tsunade had every right to refuse him the information. If she took offense, it could damage Kumo's already shaky relations with Konoha.

A smirk curled up the side of Tsunade's mouth. "Excellent."

"Hmmm." The Tsuchikage regarded his fellow Kage out of the corner of his eye. "A wager, then?"

"Stakes?" The Raikage countered.

"A small sum, nothing more."

"Be specific, man."

The Tsuchikage named off a sum large enough to purchase a high-quality kimono.

"Done!" the Raikage declared. "Who's your pick?"

"The Hyuuga girl." An evil smirk crossed the Tsuchikage's lined face. "She did so well in her last match, and those eyes…"

The Raikage scowled, clearly communicating I-know-you're-trying-to-bait-me-and-I'm-not-going-to-respond-but-it's-not-funny-so-knock-it-off with his glare. "Then I'll back the Aburame boy. He's a quick fighter, vicious too."

The Tsuchikage was not amused by his fellow Kage's support for the boy who'd defeated one of the two genin he had in the tournament, but nodded. "Hokage? Any wager?" He asked.

Both men unconsciously held their breath. Tsunade's bad luck was legendary for a reason, and if she backed one of the genin it was as good as a death knell to their chances. The fact that she had never been known to turn down a bet wasn't comforting either.

But Tsunade's face had gone unreadable again, and she waved a hand idly in dismissal. "I'm not going to wager on this one. I really have no idea how it might go…"

When the pair reached the center of the arena, they stopped, and moving in unison, bowed first to the Kage, and then to the daimyo's boxes. That done, they turned to face the stands, specifically the section where Inuzuka Tsume sat with her daughter and a number of cousins. This bow they held longer, before finally straightening up and turning to face Genma.

The Tsuchikage frowned. "Who were they bowing to?"

Tsunade scanned the stands briefly, almost immediately identifying the gesture's recipient. "The Inuzuka clan head," she said softly. "Their teammate was her son."

Genma eyed the pair in front of him. Word had gotten around the shinobi elite, and he would have had to have been on a long-term deep-cover mission not to know that these two were people to watch. They'd broken mission room record after record, and their own records were better than some shinobi with twice their experience. Hell, Anko treated them with an almost proprietary fondness, happily referring to them as 'her kohai' in conversation, and Anko _never_ got attached to her trainees.

"Alright, you two know the rules, so I'm not going to bore anyone by explaining them again. You ready?"

The pair nodded, then turned to face each other and backed away, leaving a two meter gap between them. Genma slowly raised a hand, letting the tension build, before finally dropping it with a shout of 'Hajime' and jumping out of the way. After their performances in the first round, he had no desire to get caught between these combatants.

Shino opened up the match with a pair of senbon, distracting Hinata while releasing his kikai. Hinata, having no desire to get caught by his swarm, returned fire and jumped backward, putting more space between herself and her teammate. She pulled a small poison-carrying bomb out of her pocket and tossed it at Shino, blowing it up just before it hit the ground and darting back to the tree line.

When the smoke cleared, it was to reveal a log sitting where Shino had stood. Hinata activated her Byakugan and immediately leapt forward, dodging the blow headed for her back from behind. Rolling to her feet and spinning as she straightened, she launched a pair of kunai at her teammate. From this close range, she could hardly miss. The kunai sliced through Shino's coat sleeves, but the thick material and sewn-in armoring meant that they didn't do more than leave shallow cuts. At a gesture from Shino, a swarm of kikai soared towards Hinata from behind, only for the Hyuuga girl to go into a back-bend that had most of the audience wincing as she lashed out with one hand, generating a whip-like 'rope' of chakra that tore through the swarm. Getting the hint, the insects dispersed, and Hinata launched into a back handspring, kicking at Shino as she brought her feet around.

Forced to dodge back or take a kick to the face, Shino began a string of handseals, unleashing a doton technique that forced his now upright teammate to leap upwards to avoid being swallowed by the earth. Once Hinata was in the air, he threw a pair of kunai at her, following it quickly up with a handful of senbon. It was nigh-impossible to dodge in mid-air, so he should surely hit her.

Hinata quickly tucked herself into a ball and began a somersault, projecting chakra from her body. The audience gasped as Hinata's chakra became visible in a tight shield around her body in an airborne echo of her family's kaiten. The Hyuuga in the audience muttered among themselves – the last person in the clan to do anything like what Hinata was somehow pulling off had been Hyuuga Daichi, Hiashi's great-grandfather and the man who had led the Hyuuga clan out of the lands controlled by what would become Kumo.

Hinata's new technique knocked away Shino's projectiles, and the speed of her spin repelled the kikai he summoned to eat away at her chakra. The Aburame hopped back as Hinata landed, continuing her somersaulting until she rolled upright just within his guard and engaging him in taijutsu.

At this point, civilians in the audience became unable to keep track of what was going on, and even the shinobi began having trouble following the individual strikes. The pair were trading off some of their favorite taijutsu techniques, Shino using his greater reach and strength to misdirect Hinata's strikes and distract her while he summoned his kikai to drain off her chakra, Hinata using her superior speed and flexibility to do her best to close up Shino's tenketsu through his armored coat.

In the end, the pair landed strikes that knocked each other back and stood, breathing heavily for a moment, before launching more weaponry at each other. Two of Shino's kunai clipped Hinata, despite her ability to dodge, while she managed to puncture his coat with two of her senbon, although only one actually broke the skin underneath. Weapons not getting the desired result, they moved on to other techniques. Hinata launched into a quick suiton jutsu while Shino recalled the parts of his colony scattered around the arena before launching himself at Hinata. The girl finished up the suiton jutsu, clipping her opponent and slowing him down enough to summon chakra to her hands. When Shino got closer, she launched herself forward again before closing off tenketsu point after tenketsu point. She was so focused on her strikes and evading Shino's heavier blows that she never noticed the kikai slipping onto her body.

Before long, two particularly strong blows connected and the pair were once more knocked back. A moment later, and the crowd gasped as both of them slumped, collapsing to the ground. Hinata landed on her side, bracing herself up with her arm, while Shino fell to his knees, catching himself with his hands.

"You are out of chakra," Shino informed his teammate between gasps for air. "My kikai have drained your reserves. I am sure that you are still carrying poisons, but I am less convinced as to your ability to deliver them."

"And your chakra has been sealed," Hinata panted. "And I'm pretty sure at least two of my poisons have made it into your body. Your kikai can fix one or the other quickly, but not both, and not while draining my chakra."

Genma landed a good few yards away from the pair before approaching cautiously. The last thing he wanted was to get injured because these two decided to throw one last attack. He watched in silence as the two watched each other for a moment longer before falling over, both apparently unconscious.

Taken rather aback by the anticlimactic end to the match, Genma called it. "Neither fighter is able to continue, so this bout is a draw. Neither will advance to the next round." He waved a team of medic-nin over, ignoring the audience as they punctuated their applause with muttering.

Up in the Kage's box, the Raikage and Tsuchikage grumbled slightly, their wager made moot by the double defeat. Tsunade ignored her fellow Kage, more interested in the details of the match she'd just seen. Unless she was very much mistaken, she'd just seen a truly tantalizing hint of what that pair would be capable of, once they'd matured a bit.

From her place in the stands, Inuzuka Tsume watched the pair be lifted onto stretchers and taken away. "They did well," she muttered under her breath. "They made it good. Hana," she turned to her daughter. "What d'you say to gettin' a pair of cousins?" The younger Inuzuka woman took a moment to process that before her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in a silent 'oh'. Recovering her composure, she nodded enthusiastically. "Good," Tsume growled gleefully. "We can bring it up when they get promoted. Don't let me forget."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Although the pair spent the last match of the tournament in the infirmary, that did not prevent them hearing about it in detail later. Lee had gone into it feeling excited at the chance to face his "eternal rival" in the exams, while Neji had refused to show any reaction. It had apparently been a close match. Both were brutal taijutsu-dependant fighters, capable of shutting down an opponent within moments. Neji had the advantage of superior sight and reaction time, not to mention an almost frightening grasp of the Jyuuken and its applications, but Lee was slightly faster, and, unlike Neji, had not been injured during his first round match.

The match shook the stadium. Both of the boys gave as good as they got, but eventually Neji's better reaction time won out, if barely. At the end, there were craters pockmarking the arena, Lee was unconscious in a crater on the ground, and Neji was swaying as he stood, breathing hard, heavily bruised, and possibly sporting cracked ribs. No sooner had Genma called the match in his favor than did Neji sit down heavily and place a hand to his side. It took medics to get the pair off the field.

While the contenders recuperated, debate raged within the judges' rooms. There was no question that the shinobi who had made it to the tournament were talented, and that many of them were probably ready for a promotion. On the other hand, there was a certain amount of reluctance to promote too many at once, especially from a single village.

In the end, five of the participants were chosen for promotion to chuunin. Akiyama Shun, of Iwa, was the only non-Konoha nin promoted. The rest were Kawaguchi Akai, Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino.

* * *

[A/N] Hello again! Here we have part two of the Chuunin Exams, specifically the tournament. I hope you enjoyed this one, I put a lot of thought into the tournament and may have had a little too much fun with the Kage. Once again my goal is to have the next chapter out within the fortnight. We'll see how that goes.

For those of you who were hoping for a Hinata/Neji fight: It's coming, I promise. However, it won't be for another few chapters, possibly several, since I think that they both need to grow some before their rematch. This is largely because I want Hinata to have a chance to advance to a level sufficient for her to wipe the ground with her cousin, and it'd do Neji some good to mature emotionally before she does. In fact, it'll most likely be set a few months before Shippuden begins. Should you have the patience with your poor author to wait that long, you will get to see Hinata, in Shino's words, "drug Neji stupid".

As usual, thanks to my patient if slightly eccentric baby sister, **Pyrozia**, for taking a look at this and stopping me from making any serious errors.

Next Chapter: First Gamble.


	6. First Gamble

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

First Gamble

About a week after the Chuunin Exams, a meeting of the clan heads was held to go over the business pertaining to the clean-up after the exams. Once they'd finally finished, Tsume approached Shibi and Hiashi as they made their way out. "Hyuuga-san, Aburame-san, can I speak t'you for a minute?"

The two men looked at her in surprise, or something approximating it, but agreed and moved to the corner of the room, to be out of the way.

"Inuzuka-san, it has become rare to see you at these meetings," Hiashi said, voice dismissive.

Tsume shrugged, fighting the urge to bristle. "Missions. But I wasn't interested in talkin' about the meetin', my business is a little more personal."

Shibi raised an eyebrow. "Personal, Inuzuka-san?"

"Yeah. Your kids invited me to the exam tournament, an' I was pretty impressed with how they did. They were Kiba's team, an' since the exam I've been thinkin' about bringin' them into the pack."

"Into…the pack?" Hiashi looked at her like he was trying to decide if she was quite sane.

"I take it this is a form of adoption?" Shibi asked.

"Pretty much," Tsume said. "Basically, they'd be considered clan-cousins. They could ask any Inuzuka for help anytime with pretty much anythin', no questions asked, an' they'd be expected to help any Inuzuka the same way." She shrugged again. "For most, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but I figured that since they're your clan heirs I should talk to you about it first."

"If Shino accepts then I have no objection," Shibi said calmly. "In fact, I should thank you for honoring him this way."

"Hinata has not been considered as a candidate for heiress in some years," Hiashi said dismissively. "As long as it does not impede her duties to the clan, then you may do as you wish." Turning away, the Hyuuga head left, robes swishing behind him.

Kuromaru growled from his place at Tsume's side the minute the Hyuuga was out of earshot. "Sometimes," he rumbled, "I really want to bite that man."

Shibi regarded the large dog with a raised eyebrow. "While a bite might not be my preferred method of attack, I cannot say that I disagree with the sentiment, Kuromaru-san."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next day, Hana caught Hinata and Shino as they were leaving their usual training ground and asked them to come by the Inuzuka household. Slightly puzzled, they followed only to find themselves confronted by a pack of dogs at the end of the street, the people the dogs belonged to standing at their doors or gates, watching silently.

It was, quite frankly, eerie. Hana led the two down the street to her family's house, and the pack of dogs followed at a short distance while the humans watched silently. When they got there, they were greeted by Tsume, for once out of uniform, with Kuromaru sitting as usual at her side. "Come on in, you two," she said.

Exchanging confused looks, the newly-minted chuunin obeyed. Tsume led them into the living room, and directed them to the couch, before settling herself into one of the chairs. "Now," she said. "My clan's got a little proposition for you two." She surveyed them critically. "We're considerin' adoptin' you into the pack."

This time, the look Shino and Hinata exchanged was startled. "Inuzuka-san," Shino began, "With all due respect, what exactly does that mean?"

Tsume smirked. "Some other clans use the term clan-cousin. Basically, if either of you ever need help from an Inuzuka, you'll get it, no questions asked. You'd be part of the family. 'Course, that means you'd have to return the favor, but I don't think that'll be a problem for either of you. I've talked to your clan heads, and they're okay with it."

"This is a great honor, Inuzuka-san," Hinata murmured, bowing her head, casting a sideways glance at Shino.

"We accept," the pair spoke in unison.

A toothy grin spread across Tsume's face. "Good. Now, we just need to show you off to the clan, sign a couple of papers for the farts at the clan council, and it'll be party time!"

"Now?" Hinata asked, startled.

"Yup." The Inuzuka matriarch stood up and trotted to the door. "C'mon you two!"

Shino and Hinata followed Tsume outside and into the middle of the street, trying not to flinch when she dropped her hands on their shoulders suddenly, neither being used to physical contact. "Inuzuka!" she bayed, calling the clan out of their houses and into the street. "Tonight, we welcome two cousins into the family! From this time on, Hyuuga Hinata an' Aburame Shino are pack. They'll be at our sides in battle and out, as we'll be at theirs."

A graying, heavily scarred man stepped forward, accompanied by a pair of grizzled dogs. "Have they proved their loyalty and strength to the clan's satisfaction?"

Hana responded to the challenge, with an air that told Hinata and Shino that this was part of the ceremony, instead of serious opposition. "These two were teammates to Inuzuka Kiba," quiet rippled through the assembled Inuzuka, and both Hinata and Shino caught their breath. Even five months on, it still hurt, "They were loyal teammates in life and have proved true to his memory in death. As to their strength," she smirked in a way that made her look very like her mother and dead brother, "The Chuunin Exams can attest to that. These two are young, but they're growing well."

The older man nodded, stepping back. "Then the clan is satisfied. They are welcome."

"Inuzuka, I give you our new cousins!" Tsume barked, hands tight on Shino and Hinata's shoulders. A roar came up from the clan members, and then the entire group jumped into movement, some pulling tables from the gardens into the street, others hurrying into the houses only to come back carrying dishes loaded with food.

In the midst of the noisy bustling, Shino and Hinata turned to Tsume. "Thank you, Inuzuka-san." Shino said softly.

Tsume flashed them a fanged grin. "Can't call me that anymore. I sponsored you in, so it's Tsume-obasan t'you."

Hinata smiled softly, then, to the surprise of everyone involved, gave the older woman a hesitant hug. "Tsume-obasama."

The startled clan head looked down at the petite girl, then gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm never goin' to get you to drop the formalities, am I?" Shino and Hinata both shook their heads, and she gave a barking laugh. "Well, what are you two waitin' for, this is your party!" The pair allowed themselves to be shooed into the mass of exuberant Inuzuka, swept up into the movement of the people around them.

There were some moments of awkwardness, because neither were nearly as demonstrative as their hosts, usually preferring to observe quietly to interacting, but the sheer energy in the street party was infectious. At first, it was largely the shinobi who'd attended the exam tournament who spoke to them, asking questions about techniques and training methods, but before long a couple of older clansmen had drawn Shino into a philosophical debate while a group of chuunin-ranked members in their late teens tried to tease Hinata into a game of shinobi-style tag.

Funnily enough, it was a child who cemented their place as honorary clan members. The youngest had been keeping their distance, slightly intimidated, though none would admit it, by Hinata's white eyes and the way Shino's coat hid his face. However, a game of chase between puppies and toddlers led to a little boy tripping as he ran from an excitable puppy and sprawling on the ground near Hinata's feet.

Hinata picked up the child, who was barely four, if that, and gently pushed the leg of his shorts up, examining his scraped knee. Before she could dig in her pouch for one of her ointments, however, Shino stepped up next to her. "Let me," he said softly, carefully forming the hand seals for a basic medical jutsu he'd been teaching himself. A green glow lit up his palm as he held it over the child's knee, closing up the small cuts. Minutes later, both were swarmed by children, cries of 'Hina-neesan' and 'Shi-niisan' filling the air as the clan's youngest members clamored for their attention.

Tsume, watching the proceedings from nearby, nearly laughed until she cried.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A couple of weeks later, Hinata and Shino were sparring at their usual training ground. This was one of the rare times when they spent the entire day training alone, as both Kurenai and Anko had been called out on missions. They'd spent the earlier part of the day reviewing the jutsu they were learning, and decided to have a quick spar before going in search of lunch and an afternoon spent updating their supplies.

Hinata jumped backwards out of range of Shino's punch, ducking in low almost immediately, trying to get under his guard. The Aburame blocked, forcing his teammate to disengage before he caught her with his retaliatory strike. They kept trading blows for a while, pressing whatever advantages they could, before winding up in a deadlock, one of Shino's kunai against Hinata's throat, her palm resting over his heart. Their spars had been ending up like this more and more often lately. Every so often one would learn a new technique and gain a slight advantage, but they'd become so good at reading each other that the advantage never lasted long.

After a moment in stalemate, the two disengaged, returning weaponry to the appropriate pouches and catching their breath. In an easy silence, the pair picked up the weapons they had discarded in the fight before returning to their packs, lying under a tree at the clearing's edge.

Hinata and Shino had just picked up their water bottles when they heard a soft cough from the tree behind them. Turning around quickly, they were confronted by a shinobi clad in dark grey-green and brown, wearing a bone-white mask with Konoha's leaf on the forehead and black stripes at the corners of the eyes. Shino relaxed fractionally, his hive sensing the change in Hinata's chakra as she released the chakra she'd called to her hands. _A hunter-nin. That would explain why we didn't sense him coming._

The hunter-nin cocked his head to the side, seemingly amused by the pair's reaction. "Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino," he said. "Interesting."

"Can we help you, hunter-san?" Hinata asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady.

"So businesslike," the hunter-nin sighed, before straightening up. "Well, if you insist. The hunter-nin have been keeping an eye on you for a while now. We've found your use of the Tora mission really quite resourceful, by the way. After your truly impressive showing at the Chuunin Exams last month and your promotion, we've decided that you'd be worth recruiting. You've proven to be a pair of devious, sneaky, and efficient kids, and while that may not get you far with, say, the pre-genin at the Academy, it makes you exactly the kind of material the Hunter-nin like. However, since we prefer to recruit those older and with a little more field experience, you've got one last test."

"Test, hunter-san?" Shino was fighting a rising tide of excitement.

After all the thought they'd put into their training regimes, all the work, they were being noticed. And recruited young, if he understood the hunter-nin correctly.

"Yep!" The hunter-nin chirped, sounding entirely too pleased with the situation. "There's a mission coming in – it's ranked as a C, but it's a high C. You are to take it alone, without your sensei. If you can complete it in two weeks, we'll take you on. If not, you'll have to wait another year or so."

"May we know the mission parameters?" Shino asked.

The hunter-nin considered that a moment, then shrugged. "Don't see why not. Up at the edge of northern Hi no Kuni, near the border with Taki, is a village that sent to us for help with a small group of bandits. As far as we can tell, it's a group of five or six thugs, no real threat to a shinobi. Their leader, however, is a missing-nin from Iwa." The hunter-nin pulled a card out of his pocket and tossed it to Hinata. "That's Nobu. He just barely made chuunin at the age of twenty, and seems to have come down with a case of swollen ego. He was punished several times for insubordination before he left."

"And Iwa has no interest in pursuing him themselves." Hinata concluded.

"Exactly!" the hunter-nin sounded pleased. "He's a low-ranking shinobi of no specific clan or talent, so they aren't worried about him running around loose with village or clan secrets. There's also no love lost between Konoha and Iwa, so they don't really care if he's causing trouble on our territory, so long as they can prove they had nothing to do with it."

Shino was looking over the card. "Are we simply to deal with the bandits, or were there specific requirements?"

The hunter-nin shrugged. "Deal with the bandits as you like, but the political types would prefer Nobu alive. Once you've collected him, you're to take him to the nearest outpost and turn him in there. I trust you know the outpost locations around Hi no Kuni?"

The pair nodded. Between the pair of them, they could draw a fairly accurate map of the outposts in the country – Anko had spent a memorable three days drilling them, with ten minutes of Anko-style target practice as penalty for each one they missed.

"Good. Well, I'll be off. Impress us, Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata. We'll be watching." The hunter-nin shunshin'd away, leaving dancing leaves behind. Shino was about the slip the card with their target's identification information into his kunai pouch when Hinata reached for it and turned it over, having spotted something on the back. A short note had been left in an untidy scrawl at the bottom of the profile: _Good luck. –Jakkaru._

Collecting their belongings, the two headed back into the village proper, deciding to grab a quick lunch before going to see about the test mission. As they entered a little café that their sensei favored (and with good reason, in their opinions) Shino murmured "It is oddly fortuitous that sensei is on a mission, and will not return for a few days."

Hinata glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, understanding the unspoken message. _This was arranged, and we get a lead._ "It should take us only a few days to get to the border," she said softly.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Getting the mission was easier than they had expected. All they had to do was request a C-ranked mission out of the village, and when the shinobi working the missions desk recited them, their desired mission came up fourth. It probably helped that Iruka wasn't working the missions desk – despite the fact that they were technically the same rank, he still saw them as his quiet students. The fact that Iruka tended to familiarize himself with the details of missions he gave to people he cared about as a matter of course made their former sensei that much more formidable.

"Right," the older chuunin had told them, rolling up the scroll. "The details are on there, so there should be no issues. You'll be making your initial report at the outpost, and they might ask you to carry some documents on the way back. They're down a shinobi, last we'd heard, and they don't want to spare anybody for courier work." Nodding to say they understood, the two left.

The mission scroll in hand, the next order of business was retrieving their belongings from home. The pair split up, deciding to meet at the gate within the hour and get as far as they could before stopping for the night.

Shino took to the roofs, taking the fastest route to the Aburame-dominated section of the village. Landing on the street outside his house, he slipped inside and put together his pack as quickly as he could before going in search of his father. He found Shibi in one of the incubation rooms, examining the progress of a young colony.

"Father."

Shibi looked up from the queen he had been inspecting. "Shino. Do you need me for something?"

Shino shook his head slightly. "I came by to tell you that I have a mission. We are expected to return in two weeks." He augmented his words with slight gestures. _Hunter-nin recruitment test_.

Shibi raised an eyebrow. "I see. I will see you in two week's time, then." _Good luck_.

On his way to the gate, Shino made a small detour to the Memorial Stone. He dropped easily to the ground from the trees and knelt in front of the stone. _I can't stay long, but I thought you should know that we won't be here for two weeks. A hunter-nin approached us, and he made us an offer. If we complete this mission in two weeks on our own they'll take us on as trainees._ Shino knelt in front of the glossy black Stone for a few more minutes before levering himself to his feet and heading toward the gates. He'd need to hurry to make it on time.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

On her way back to the Hyuuga estate, Hinata stopped in at the cemetery. "Forgive me for not bringing any incense, Kiba-kun," she said softly, kneeling in front of her teammate's stone. "But there wasn't time. Kiba-kun, a h-hunter-n-nin a-approached us." She clasped her hands, trying to calm her excitement so that she could speak without stuttering. "He s-said that they've b-been watching us, that they wanted to r-recruit us! There's a t-test we have to do first, a C-ranked m-mission, without sensei. We have two weeks to go h-hunt down a group of bandits. The bandits are civilians, but the leader's a rogue from Iwa." She bit her lip, weighing her urge to talk to her teammate against her remaining time. "I need to go pack, or I'll be late, but I w-wanted to tell you first." She bowed slightly to the gravestone as she stood, then hurried to the estate.

Fortunately, she didn't pass anybody in the halls on her way in. Throwing together a pack with the ease of long practice, she pulled it onto her back and hurried into the kitchens to pick up some trail rations, then into the stillroom for an extra jar of ointment. While in the stillroom, she scribbled a pair of quick notes for her sister and cousin, sliding them under their doors. The message was the same. _Will be on a mission for two weeks. Take care_.

Once she had all her gear together, she trotted down the hall to her father's office, knocking on the door. When he called her in, she entered obediently, leaving her pack next to the door.

"What is it, Hinata?" Hiashi asked, looking up from the clan accounts.

"I h-have a mission, Father," Hinata said softly, eyes on her hands. "The projected t-time is two weeks."

Hiashi made a little noise in the back of his throat that, in another man, would have been an exasperated sigh. "Very well. You will be expected back in two weeks." He turned back to his papers, wordlessly dismissing her.

Biting her lip, Hinata left the Hyuuga estate silently, making her way to the gate. She was early, and as she waited it occurred to her that they'd forgotten to leave Kurenai a message. Borrowing a piece of paper from the shinobi on guard duty, she wrote a quick note to Kurenai, apologizing for leaving on short notice and telling her that they'd be back within two weeks. Shino showed up as she was finishing, and she passed him the paper. He read the note, then borrowed her pen to add a few last lines of his own. Once the note was complete to his satisfaction, Shino folded the paper up into a small packet, and summoned a few of his insects from below his coat. They took the paper and disappeared in the direction of Kurenai's apartment.

The pair signed out without a fuss and took off into the trees, heading north. After about three hours of tree-jumping, Shino signaled Hinata to look for a campsite. About fifteen minutes later, Hinata led them to a clearing not far from a small stream. They set up their camp quickly, needing only minimal conversation to direct each other. Once the fire was starting to heat enough to cook on, Shino pulled the mission scroll from his pack. He rolled it out across his knees and read it aloud as Hinata put together the ingredients for a quick meal.

"The mission was requested by a small village about 30 kilometers from the border. Over the past month, they have been harassed by a group of bandits. Villager estimates place the group size at six, and they say their leader wears a hitai-ate with a slash through the insignia. One of the villagers managed to get a good look at it and recognized it as Iwa. We have his name because the group insists on announcing themselves and demanding that the villagers call their leader 'Nobu-sama'."

"Do we know anything about how they attack?"

Shino scanned the scroll "As far as I can tell, they've been going after food, some valuables, and have harassed village women if they find them alone. One was nearly kidnapped, but managed to get away in time. They prefer late afternoons, and tend to hit the outskirts of the village. Nobu uses some flashy jutsu, while the rest of his band are armed with a variety of weapons, primarily short swords, although one has been seen to carry an axe."

Hinata nodded. "We should probably check in on the village first. I _think_ we should reach them in two days if we keep up our pace."

Shino made a noise of agreement, reviewing the scroll again. He wasn't really expecting anything to go wrong, but this was an important mission for them, and he had heard something about Team 7's first C-rank being a mislabeled A-rank. After reading the mission details over twice, he put the scroll away and went to collect some more water while Hinata dealt with placing the meal in the hot ash to heat.

Two days later, in the late afternoon, the pair reached the village that had sent the mission request. Announcing themselves to a man hauling a cart full of wood led them to present themselves to what amounted to the village leaders – a handful of elders and the blacksmith – while what had to be half the village looked on.

A lot of the glances were admittedly dubious. While the pair were obviously Konoha shinobi, and wore the insignia to prove it, what use was a pair of kids? However, the blacksmith had a rough idea of what skills a chuunin-ranked shinobi possessed, and informed the elders (and pretty much everyone within earshot) that for the two of them to be chuunin at their age meant that they were good.

The question of their competency might have been left at that, had a large farmer not pushed his way to the front of the crowd and started sneering. "We send to Konoha for help and they send us a pair of wet-behind-the-ears _brats_? What, is our money not good enough?"

Shino fixed the man with a stare from behind his black-tinted goggles. "Not at all. The mission was evaluated as a C-rank, and a C-rank is what you will be charged for, unless something…complicates the matter."

The man shifted irritably, but before he could say anything Hinata cut in. "We are trained specifically for this kind of mission, sir." She stared to the left of his ear, trusting her eyes to unnerve him. It seemed to work, for he quieted almost instantly and stepped back into the crowd. The awkward moment was broken when the blacksmith offered to put them up for the night. The pair accepted gracefully, and early the next morning headed out on the trail of the bandit gang.

It took them only a day to find the bandits. There were seven of them gathered around a campfire, in a rough circle dominated by their leader. Nobu was easy to pick out, all strutting pride and loud voice, his slashed Iwa insignia prominently displayed. Of the remaining six, five were large and burly, tough men carrying a motley assortment of weaponry. The last was smaller, a boy in his late teens who moved with a limp. An hour of careful recon told Hinata and Shino that the boy was a would-be member of the gang, who had been conscripted into being their general dogsbody due to his limp. It was certainly he who did most of the camp chores.

The pair retreated some distance from the camp to discuss their plan of attack. It didn't take them long to agree on a strategy, Shino proposing methods and Hinata examining them and suggesting modifications. They wordlessly agreed to follow one of their senpai's favorite instructions: "Keep it simple, stupid."

Some hours later, once the bandits had settled down for the night and their fire was down to glowing ashes, Hinata and Shino slipped quietly into the camp. Five of their targets went down quietly, dropping into a drugged sleep thanks to the careful use of senbon. The last bandit woke up as Hinata stabbed him with her poisoned needles, and while he didn't have time to do more than thrash around a little, the movement woke Nobu.

The Iwa rogue scrambled to his feet, drawing a kunai and turning to face Shino and Hinata. The pair flanked him silently, waiting for one false move. This would be trickier – they were fighting to incapacitate, not kill, and Nobu had no such restriction. After a few moments of standoff, Nobu swore loudly, brandishing his kunai. "Come on you Konoha rats! Scared to face a real shinobi?" When neither dignified that with a response, Nobu lunged at Shino, swinging wildly.

Shino dodged out of the way, taking advantage of the darkness and movement to release some of his hive. Hinata moved in, metal glinting between her fingers in the faint light of the glowing ash. She scored a slight cut, but was forced to dodge away before she could tell if she had broken the skin below the fabric of Nobu's shirt.

Swearing again, Nobu whirled on the small girl, launching into a sequence of hand seals, calling up a doton technique. Hinata substituted away, while Shino jumped to safety, leaving the stone spires scything upward uselessly. The bandits were not so lucky. Nobu caught three of his band in his technique, leaving them with mortal wounds if not killing them, while another two were hit with debris.

Before Nobu could get off another jutsu, Hinata substituted with one of the many pieces of stone thrown about, sinking a trio of senbon deep into his shoulder. She quickly substituted away again, and Nobu stumbled as he was swarmed by insects. It was over in minutes. The man collapsed heavily, and Shino dropped next to him, disarming him and binding him with wire quickly.

Once Nobu was bound to his satisfaction, the boy stood, leaving a good portion of his colony behind. Hinata meanwhile had coaxed new flame from the campsite, and was bending over the forms of the men who had been caught by the technique. Two were already dead, and the third was bleeding out. Perhaps fortunately, he was unconscious, knocked out by blood loss and the remnants of Hinata's drug. Leaving the three as lost causes, Shino crossed the campsite to examine the luckier ones.

One had been half-crushed by the debris. His legs were, as far as Shino could tell, badly broken. There was no way he'd survive without immediate and advanced medical attention. As he was still unconscious, Shino left him for the moment and bent over one of the other two. He was heavily bruised, and there was a bloody streak on his head where a stone had hit him. The last was the youngest member of the band. He'd been lying farthest from the campfire and had thus escaped serious injury. Although a bit dusty and battered, he was otherwise fine.

Shino returned to the man with the broken legs, and Hinata came to join him. "This one's legs are shattered," he told her softly. "If he survives the trauma, he will likely never walk again." Hinata bit her lip, then reached into her pouch for a small vial. Understanding, Shino crouched next to the man's head and wrestled his jaw open so Hinata could pour a few drops down his throat.

"It's fast," she told Shino softly as he let the man's jaw go. "I don't think he'll even wake up."

The pair then turned to the other two men. When they began to examine the one who had been hit in the head, Hinata frowned. "Shino, do you know any diagnostic jutsu?"

"One, but I haven't mastered it yet."

"Can you check his head for me?"

Shino did so, and discovered that there had been more damage than he'd originally thought. He stood, wiping the dirt off his hands. "It looks like there's been some bleeding inside the skull. I don't know enough about the head to tell what will happen to someone with his injuries."

They looked at each other. "Should," Hinata swallowed and tried again. "Should we watch him when he wakes up and see what happens?"

Shino closed his eyes in thought. "We don't have a whole lot of time. We need to get Nobu to the outpost, and the sooner the better. And there's still one of the band left."

Hinata leapt at the delaying factor. "Let's take a look at the last one."

The older boy was as they'd left him. Hinata leaned over him, biting her lip. "Do you suppose…he could be rehabilitated?"

"That would require waking him up first," Shino pointed out.

"Shino-kun, we aren't going to get Nobu anywhere tonight, not in the dark."

Shino nodded, conceding the point. "I take it we wait until morning?"

Hinata nodded, and slipped a coil of wire out of her pocket. She bound the boy's hands efficiently, and tied him to a tree. Shino, seeing where this was going, checked Nobu's bonds before moving him to a tree and tying him there. This took some effort, as Nobu was heavy. Once he had the older chuunin propped upright, he quickly patted him down, removing weapons and a couple of poorly-made tags. Meanwhile, Hinata bound the hands of the man with potential brain damage, pulling the debris away from him.

The survivors restrained to their satisfaction, Hinata and Shino retreated a little distance, keeping their captives between them and the carnage, before settling down to nap and wait for dawn.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

While Shino and Hinata conducted a raid on a bandit camp, Yuuhi Kurenai was returning to her apartment in Konoha. The mission had been challenging, requiring careful use of multiple genjutsu and genjutsu-breaking techniques, and in the end it had come down to a straight-up fight in very muddy terrain, but it had been successful. Injuries had been kept to a minimum, and while Kurenai felt like she'd been put through a clothes-press and had mud and dirt in more places than she really cared to think about, it was nothing a hot shower and some sleep wouldn't fix.

Once she'd consigned her clothes to the laundry, set her pack against the coffee table to be sorted through and restocked, had a shower and put on blessedly clean clothes, Kurenai began the usual process of catching up on her more immediate chores after being gone for some time. Opening the window to water her plants, she was surprised to find a square of paper tucked into the side of one of her window boxes. Her name was on the outside, and she recognized Shino's precise handwriting. Picking up the paper, she watered her plants, then retreated to her kitchen table to examine the note.

It was written in a simple cipher her three students had developed half as a joke just before their first chuunin exam. As they'd been clowning around after a training session when they started on it, it was full of references to dogs, insects, colors, and flowers. _Well, Kiba had been clowning around. Shino was being sarcastic and Hinata was trying to muffle her giggles._ Resolutely pushing the memory of a complete team aside, Kurenai deciphered it with ease, finding herself left with a short note written by both her students.

_Kurenai-sensei,_ the note began, in Hinata's delicate, fastidious hand. _We'll be on a mission for two weeks from today. We've taken a C-rank to track down a bandit group in Northern Hi no Kuni. I know we shouldn't have taken it without letting you know first, but there wasn't time. We'll explain more when we get back. Hope you had a good mission._

The note continued in Shino's handwriting. _Sensei, we took the mission because we were approached by a part of our goal called Jakkaru. Having read the mission objectives, we should be able to complete this mission on our own. Don't concern yourself, we will see you in two weeks. Shino and Hinata._

Giving an exasperated sigh, Kurenai dropped the note on her table. She wasn't really surprised, knowing her students as she did, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't be facing a truly brutal training session when they got back. Pushing herself to her feet, the tired jounin made a mental note to brief Anko on the situation as she dug through her cupboards, looking for something to make a quick and easy dinner. If there was anyone who would know just what type of training would be appropriate for the situation, it was the energetic kunoichi.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shino woke up just before dawn, and stretched quickly, before waking Hinata with a hand on her shoulder. The Hyuuga girl woke up almost at once, requiring only a sleepy stretch to return to awareness. The pair quietly approached their captives. Nobu was still unconscious, but the older boy was starting to wake up.

Letting Hinata keep an eye on their waking prisoner, Shino approached the one with the head injury. Performing the diagnostic jutsu again, he quickly discovered that the man's vitals were lower than he expected, and there was a lot of blood pooled around the back of his head. In the growing light of morning, he could see what the night had concealed from him – the man's head had been struck hard by a stone knocked upwards from below, probably during Nobu's doton jutsu, before the man was hit in the head by the debris from above. From Shino's limited experience, the brain seemed to have been injured first on the front, and then again, with slightly less force, behind.

Hinata came to stand by Shino, watching the older teen out of the corner of her eye. "What happened?" she asked softly.

"There is bleeding on the brain, and his vitals are down," Shino told her, voice quiet. "I think he is comatose." He drew a kunai from his pouch. Hinata glanced at the blade in his hand, and nodded, biting her lip. Bending down, Shino quickly slit the comatose man's throat. Wiping the blade on the man's shirt, Shino slipped it back into his pouch and stood, looking at the five dead bodies lying amid the chaos of the ruined campsite.

Hinata cast a glance sideways at her teammate. "We should check to see what they had with them," she said softly. Shino nodded wordlessly, and the two started scouring the campsite, making a pile for salvageable cloth and valuables, and a separate pile for weapons. The piles were small – the doton jutsu had completely torn up the campsite, and the food was completely ruined, most of the packs sunk halfway into or buried by the dirt. Eventually they had a respectable size pile of weaponry, some completely useless, some of fair quality, and a small pile of halfway decent cloth and a few valuables: a couple of pieces of jewelry, a small pouch of coin.

That done, they managed to pull the bodies to the center of the damaged ground, where the soil was looser. Working with soft instructions to each other, they used a doton and a suiton technique to sink the bodies in a mass grave. By the time they finally finished, the sun had risen above the trees, and the older teen was awake. Shino dispatched some of his hive to drain Nobu's chakra some more, and the three teens watched each other warily.

Unsurprisingly, it was the older teen who spoke first. "So, what now?" His voice was resigned. "Do I end up like them?" he gestured to the disturbed earth with his chin.

"That," Shino told him softly, "depends entirely on you."

The young man snorted. "Uh huh. Right. Look, if you're after money or information, I don't have any."

"You misunderstand," Hinata said, drawing on the Hyuuga-voice her Father used when angry. It came out a calm, dismissive tone, but it was close enough for her purposes. "We'd rather not kill you."

"Why did you join this group?" Shino asked.

Their captive stared at them for a moment, then snorted. "Sure beat the hell out of slaving in the fields, that's for certain, especially with this leg. And there's nobody who'll take on someone like me as an apprentice-"

"Were you ever involved in any of the raids?" Hinata cut him off.

"Nah. They didn't want someone who couldn't move fast along. I watched the camp while they were gone."

"Do you want a second chance?" Shino's voice had become steel.

The young man's gaze turned wary. "What do you mean, second chance?"

"We were hired by a local village to deal with their bandit problem." Shino said, businesslike. "If you so choose, we can take you to them, tell them that you were a captive at the camp, and see if we can arrange for a job for you."

"And if not?"

Hinata slipped a hand into her pouch. Ignoring the movement, Shino spoke. "Then your death will be regrettable."

The young man's eyes widened. "Ah…oh. Do I get some time to…think it over?"

Hinata pulled on the expression she saw on the faces of the Hyuuga Elders when they were irritated with her. Shino, watching out of the corner of his eye, was impressed by how like a Hyuuga she looked. "Think fast. We have a mission to complete, and little time in which to do it."

Ignoring the older teen, she spun and crossed the clearing to examine Nobu. Deciding that she wanted some insurance, she picked out a vial from her pouch, drew a senbon, dipped the senbon in the liquid and stuck it in the muscle of Nobu's arm, above the brachial vein. When she turned away from the Iwa rogue, she noticed that Shino's expression spoke of slight amusement. She fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

A groan drew their attention back to the older teen. "I'll go to the village," he said irritably.

It was about midday by the time they returned to the village. The residents stopped to stare at the group they made: a small girl, a boy her age carrying a full-grown man, and an older teen limping along next to them.

Shino dropped Nobu unceremoniously in the dirt while they talked to the villagers. Their rendition of events was brief, and when they described the older teen as having been a prisoner of the bandits, nobody really argued. The teen was turned over to the custody of the blacksmith, and they had to decline several offers of food or lodging as they left.

It took them two days to get to the outpost. Unencumbered, it would have only taken one, but Nobu was almost as big as the pair of them together, and they had decided to keep him drugged and drained of chakra to make life easier. When they finally reached the small guard tower with attached block of rooms, they were more than ready to dispose of their target. The outpost was manned by a motley group of chuunin, headed by a trio of ANBU. Two of their number, one chuunin, one ANBU, had been injured by a rockslide the week before. Nothing serious, but they still had a few more days to go before they could be considered combat-ready again.

They were greeted by the senior chuunin, who handed Nobu off to an ANBU for processing, then insisted they stay the night and leave the next morning, as opposed to setting off in the late afternoon. Succumbing to the desire to sleep in an actual building, Shino and Hinata accepted, and spent a night sharing the bunk bed in one of the rooms.

The next morning, they were approached by the senior chuunin as they got ready to leave. "Here," he told them, plopping a trio of scrolls on the bottom bunk. "Reports to go to the mission desk. We'd send them in ourselves, but what with our injuries and you going that way already…"

"We'll hand these in for you," Hinata promised, slipping them into her pack.

The return trip took two days, and was largely uneventful. They got back to Konoha late one afternoon, and reported in, handing over their own report, the paperwork committing Nobu to Konoha's custody, and the scrolls from the outpost.

Leaving the Hokage Tower together, they were startled when a figure wearing a hunter-nin mask, this one with black-rimmed eyes and tan lines running from the inside corner of the eyes to the edge of the mask level with the jawline, passed them at the door with a slight wave.

* * *

A/N: And two members of the hunter-nin are introduced! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Some parts of it practically wrote themselves.

Here I am afraid I will have to break my usual chapter per fortnight rhythm. My schedule is rolling into the first round of exams and major papers, and I any spare time I have will be spoken for by extra study or sleep. That, and my little sister beta's going to be out of the hemisphere for the next two weeks, so even if I did get a chapter done within that time, she wouldn't be able to read it and get it back to me. Thus, the next chapter will be up in three week's time.

Thanks to everyone who's kind enough to leave me a review. It's the comments I get that make me get excited to work on the next chapter. And **Pyrozia**, as usual, for (hopefully) keeping me from making stupid mistakes.

The brain injuries Shino finds are actually really common in car accidents or victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome. When the body stops moving suddenly, the head gets thrown backward, and then forward: this is whiplash. What that means for the brain is that the brain is knocked against the front of the skull, before the hyperextension of the neck smacks the brain into the back of the skull, causing bruising of the brain. This kind of injury is called a "contra coup" injury. The skull's made of dense bone and ridged on the inside, the brain is very soft tissue. Anyone who's ever had to dissect a mammal in Biology class will recognize this. If blood vessels tear, then the blood can put a lot of pressure on the brain, as there isn't any extra space within the skull to speak of, and in severe cases the patient can be rendered comatose.

Jakkaru – The Hunter-nin's second in command. His codename, according to my search engines, translates to 'Jackal'.

Next Chapter: Recruitment Procedures


	7. REcruitment Procedures

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Recruitment Procedures

_Leaving the Hokage Tower together, Shino and Hinata were startled when a figure wearing a hunter-nin mask, this one with black-rimmed eyes and tan lines running from the inside corner of the eyes to the edge of the mask level with the jawline, passed them at the door with a slight wave._

Ryouken smiled softly to himself as he passed his two potential subordinates, amused by their startled expressions. They had promise. Oh, they weren't ready to become full hunter-nin yet; there were some gaping holes in their training and they desperately needed experience before they were sent out on any real missions as a member of his division, but they were intelligent, driven, hard working, and ambitious, and he'd be a fool to ignore that. Nobody had ever accused the head of the hunter-nin squad of Konoha's ANBU of being a fool.

Ryouken largely ignored the reactions he got from the people in the Tower as he climbed the stairs to Tsunade's office, from the wary glances out of the corners of the older jounin and chuunin's eyes to the blatant staring coming from some of the genin. As he stepped onto the landing outside of the Hokage's office, a dark shadow detached itself from the wall to land at his shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late, taicho," Jakkaru said quietly, passing a pair of scrolls to his commander. Ryouken nodded calmly, taking the scrolls and knocking on the door to Tsunade's office, the pair entering at her irritated 'Yes?'

Tsunade was alone in her office, her assistant presumably elsewhere, and fully alert. Upon seeing the pair at the door, her eyes narrowed and she laced her fingers in front of her mouth. "What brings you here today, Ryouken?"

Ryouken bowed, Jakkaru closing the door and doing the same behind him. "Lady Hokage, I am here to request permission to recruit two chuunin to the hunter-nin."

"Oh? And these two chuunin are?"

"Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade sighed, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her temples. "You just had to choose the difficult ones." She glanced at the pair of hunter-nin. "I don't suppose there's a chance I can persuade you to put off this conversation for another three years?"

Ryouken grimaced behind his mask. "I'm afraid not, Hokage-sama. Those two have done well on their own, but at this point the only way their skills will truly improve is with a hunter-nin's education. They are too valuable to risk losing at this time."

There was a valid reason for the suggested delay. Shortly after Uchiha Itachi had pulled of a psychopathic attack on his clan, all ANBU applicants under the age of 16, the shinobi age of majority, were carefully screened to prevent a second such occurrence. Adding in the fact that the pair were both highly placed in their respective clans, the paperwork was going to be a nightmare.

Tsunade groaned. "So much paperwork," she muttered to herself. "Right," she sat up and leaned forward, bracing herself on her desk. "Do you have the recruitment forms, at least?"

Ryouken handed over the scrolls Jakkaru had passed him earlier, and the pair watched silently as Tsunade read through the contents of each. Once she'd finished, she rolled them back up and surveyed the hunter-nin. They did have a valid point, and it probably would be the best thing to do with those two, but she wanted to make sure that her hunters had thought this through. "What do you have planned for them?"

"At least six months of training before instatement," Ryouken began, rattling off the list he'd made earlier. "Mentorship under as many hunter-nin as are in the village – since our missions are timed differently than most, the odds are good that they'll end up taught by at least three-quarters of the division at one time or another. During training, they'll still take on the occasional mission as a progress evaluation. We're still not sure how we want to deploy them, but we'll have them capable before we let them loose."

Tsunade nodded once, approving the logic they'd shown thus far. "And their clans?"

Jakkaru stepped forward. "I've been observing them for a few weeks now. It may interest you to know that Hinata-san's been planning to move out of her clan compound for some time. She set up a separate bank account just before her first Chuunin Exam, and her mission pay since then's been going in there." That got a pair of raised eyebrows, even if only one was visible. "It is highly likely that with a little persuasion Shino-san will do the same, perhaps even moving into the same building or splitting an apartment."

"As to the clans themselves," Jakkaru shrugged. "I don't see the Aburame being a problem. Of the Aburame members who go into the ANBU, most tend to gravitate towards the black ops or hunter-nin anyway. The Hyuuga might be a little trickier. A little birdie told me that Hinata-san's younger sister is all but officially declared the heir, and that Hinata-san is largely out of consideration, but she's still the clan head's oldest daughter. The fact that she's planning to move out suggests that she wants to split from her clan, and we may have to work with that."

Tsunade tilted her head to the side. "Are you suggesting emancipation?"

"It's probably the best option," Ryouken mused. "It'd be such a waste if we got her all trained up and then her father pulled something on us. I'm not familiar with Hyuuga clan law, but we can get somebody on that."

"Have someone research Hyuuga clan law and get that information to me before you bring Hinata in as a full member," Tsunade ordered. "The last thing we need is for her to be suddenly attacked or branded – I've heard there are nasty side effects to branding anyone older than eight. I want to be kept up to date on their progress as well, and you will bring their evaluations to me before you initiate and deploy them. Those two are politically valuable, and we don't need anything going wrong." She glared at them across the table. "If you had been any less convincing and your arguments any less valid, then you would not be getting those two chuunin for another year and a half at least. Do not screw this up."

Both Ryouken and Jakkaru winced, but nodded. Seeing that she'd made her point, Tsunade quickly signed and sealed both the scrolls before passing them back across the desk to Ryouken, giving the hunter-nin permission to take on two trainees.

"Now," she said, settling back in her chair, "was there anything else you had for me?" Jakkaru handed Ryouken a small stack of papers, and the two hunter-nin began to brief the Hokage on the latest bounty changes and addendums to the bingo book.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The morning after they got back from their mission, Shino and Hinata met their sensei at the usual training ground. Although slightly mollified by their extended explanation, that didn't stop Kurenai from putting them through a brutal genjutsu practice. At the end of it, the pair were tired and headachy. Once they'd finally been dismissed for the day, Kurenai telling them to be back the next day for a mission 'with me, this time', the pair walked slowly off in different directions.

Hinata headed back into the village, pausing only briefly at the Hyuuga compound to pick up some incense and a small hand broom. Upon reaching her final destination, the cemetery, she lit the incense before gently cleaning Kiba's gravestone and uprooting the encroaching weeds. As she worked, she took him through a detailed account of the mission.

"Kurenai-sensei wasn't happy with us," she finished, tidying up the weeds into a bundle for later disposal. "She had every right to be, you know, we did go off on a mission without her and she worries about us. So she had us doing genjutsu drills all day." She bit her lip, trying to decide what else to tell the stone. "I think I might go by the Inuzuka property tomorrow, and see how Hana and Tsume-obasama are doing. The last I saw them Hana told me that there are five different pregnant ninken all due within the same week. I should see if any of them have had the puppies yet. And a cousin of yours – Ichirou, I think, although I keep getting him mixed up with Hiroto - told me that a couple of the littler ones were asking for us the other day."

Hinata sat quietly for another couple of minutes, only to be pulled from her reverie by a soft cough behind her. Turning swiftly, hand flying to her weapons pouch in reflex, she found herself staring up at a masked ANBU.

"Hyuuga Hinata, Hokage-sama requires you at the tower in twenty minutes." The ANBU bowed briefly to the graves, then vanished into the shadows.

Moving on automatic, Hinata collected her bundle of weeds and other supplies, bowed once to Kiba's stone and walked out of the cemetery. Once she'd cleared the borders and disposed of the weeds in a nearby bin, she took off in a hurry, leaping to the roofs of buildings to avoid pedestrian and civilian traffic. It was about twelve minutes from Hokage tower to the cemetery at a walk. She would make it in eight.

Unlike Hinata, Shino had gone straight to the Memorial Stone after training ended. He gave Kiba his own rendition of the mission before dropping into a light meditation. He was brought back to awareness by the ANBU landing on the branch just over his head.

"Aburame Shino, Hokage-sama requires your presence at the tower in twenty minutes."

Bowing briefly to the Memorial Stone, Shino broke into a shinobi's bounding run, taking to the trees, and when they thinned out, to the rooftops. It was a good seventeen minute's brisk walk to the Hokage's tower from the stone, but only ten minutes after receiving the summons Shino landed at the door to the tower and hurried inside. Hinata was waiting on the landing below Tsunade's office, wringing her hands in front of her.

"Sh-Shino-kun!"

"Hinata," he nodded up the stairs. "Did they say…"

She shook her head. "J-just that Hokage-sama wanted me here," she took a breath, checking her internal clock, "nine m-minutes from now. You?"

"Same." Shino's eyebrows furrowed, and Hinata caught the unspoken question. _What would she summon us for at this time of day?_

"M-maybe there was something a-about the mission?" she suggested. She rather doubted it, as they'd turned in their report a little over twenty-four hours previously, but she couldn't think of anything else.

"Possibly," Shino mused. He tilted his head to one side as he glanced back at Hinata, gesturing slightly to the stairs with one hand. _Shall we?_ As they started to climb the stairs, he murmured, so softly she thought she imagined it for a moment, "you don't suppose…"

Hinata bit her lip. It had truthfully occurred to her that this might be about their attempt to train for the hunter-nin, but hard experience had taught her that anything good only came about after putting herself through a self-induced hell of working to exhaustion and pain, and even then only rarely. Further bitter experience had left her wary of disappointment, so she'd been quashing the bright little bubble of hope building in the pit of her stomach for the past ten minutes.

"I-I think it w-would be best f-for us not to a-assume anything, Sh-Shino-kun. Th-that way…" her voice trailed off, but the miserable undertone of her voice and the way her shoulders hunched, drawing her back in on herself, made the point for her. _That way if it is not what we want, then we will not be so disappointed._

Shino stopped, midway up the stairs, and laid a gentle hand on Hinata's shoulder. Her eyes widened as she turned to look at him, but he simply held eye contact for a few minutes before turning to continue to the Hokage's office. Hinata could not help but smile as she followed him. Although repeated interactions with the Inuzuka, who were by nature incredibly touchy-feely people, had made them more used to physical contact, that did not change the fact that simple touch remained uncommon for them. Coming from Shino, that slight gesture was the equivalent of a strong, comforting hug.

Three minutes early, the pair knocked on the door of the Hokage's office and were admitted by Shizune, who was leaving with a number of scrolls tucked under her arm. Tsunade sat behind her desk, apparently alone, but as the door closed behind Shizune two masked figures joined them, one dropping from apparently blank ceiling, the other stepping from the shadows of the corner.

Bowing briefly to Tsunade, the pair were startled to realize that they recognized both the masks – one was the hunter-nin who'd given them their 'test' assignment, the other was the hunter who had waved to them two days earlier.

"Good evening, Jakkaru-san," Hinata said softly, Shino bowing his head alongside her.

"Hinata-san, Shino-san," Jakkaru nodded, a smile evident in his tone.

The pair turned to the other hunter-nin, Shino speaking now. "Forgive us, hunter-san, but we don't know what you prefer to be called."

The unknown hunter-nin chuckled softly, waving a hand in conciliation. "No offense taken, you two. I'm Ryouken, the commander of the hunter-nin division of Konoha's ANBU. And, if all goes well, in six months time the pair of you will be calling me taicho."

Hinata's breath caught in her lungs, and she felt Shino stiffen at her side. Six month's time…_taicho_…that meant…

"It will be an honor, sir." Shino spoke for both of them, bowing again. Hinata quickly copied the movement.

"Right, since you're being recruited into the hunter-nin, that gives us a set of pretty little problems," Tsunade interjected, resting her head on her hand. "Firstly, there's your age. I tried to get them to hold off for another few years, but it is the opinion of the experts," she waved her other hand at the two hunter-nin, "that everyone would be better served by snatching you up now."

"D-does this have something to d-do with the Uchiha M-massacre, Hokage-sama?" Hinata asked softly, pale eyes fixed on the corner of the large desk.

There was a moment of silence, broken by Ryouken. "I'm impressed, little Hyuuga. You've got it in one. Some have theorized that the Uchiha Massacre was in part instigated by the pressure Uchiha Itachi was under due to the stress of his position as an ANBU Captain at the age of thirteen. As a result, it's recommended that we don't recruit anyone under sixteen. If the two of you weren't as good as you are, we wouldn't be making this exception."

"Basically," Jakkaru broke in, "if we don't get you some proper training soon, you're going to start to stagnate. There's only so much you can teach yourselves."

Tsunade made a slightly irritated noise in the back of her throat. "Going back to the complications, the other main problem you two present is your clan standings." She turned her gaze on the pair. "We have a number of Hyuuga and Aburame within ANBU – you may run into some of your kin within the hunter-nin, in point of fact – but clan heirs are something of a special case. You're too valuable to your clans to be risked unnecessarily, and some would argue that bringing you into the hunter-nin would be doing just that. While I can forcibly trump your clans with the oaths you two took to the village if they make a fuss, I'd rather not have to."

Shino and Hinata nodded quietly, thinking that over. A minute later, Hinata spoke up softly, looking determinedly at the ground and away from everyone in the room. "A-ano, H-Hokage-sama, m-my position in c-clan Hyuuga s-should not be a-an obstacle."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You are main branch, the eldest daughter of the clan head, and putative clan heir, are you not?"

"A-ah, y-yes, I a-am main branch a-and daughter of th-the clan head, b-but I'm not heir. F-Father decided y-years ago that Hanabi w-would make a better clan head."

"But you're still main branch, and the village records still list you as clan heir." The older woman pointed out.

Hinata frowned slightly at that. "I-I don't know why the v-village records wouldn't have been changed. M-maybe it has something to do with Hanabi's age? Sh-she's still so young, and…"

Ryouken made a mental note to go into the records and have a look at the Hyuuga files. This was getting interesting. "So you think it may be because your sister's younger and this way you're, I don't know, still an option if something happens?"

Hinata bit her lip again. They were heading into dangerous waters now, and she didn't want to embarrass anybody. "That's possible," she said slowly. "I-I do know why I'm s-still main branch, though." She took a breath, letting Shino's concerned presence at her side calm her, and continued on. "I-I'm female, s-so if I m-marry w-within the clan then it w-won't m-matter. I-I'll still be m-main branch. A-and if I m-marry outside the clan there aren't…" her voice failed her and she had to try again, "there aren't many nobles who will accept a sealed Hyuuga bride."

Jakkaru banged his head against the wall. "Another thing to look out for," he muttered. "Predatory nobles and marriage arrangements."

Hinata bowed her head, eyes trained on the floor. "Gomenasai," she whispered.

Tsunade threw a glare at Jakkaru and turned back to the girl in front of her desk. "There's nothing you could do about that, Hinata, so don't apologize. If I remember the basic clan laws correctly, your family can't start arranging marriage contracts until you turn fifteen, correct?" When the young Hyuuga nodded, she went on. "Hopefully by that time you'll be part of a specialized division of Konoha's ANBU, and thus far too valuable to be married off, so it won't be a big issue. At any rate, it gives us more than eighteen months to find a solution."

Sensing that the matter of clan Hyuuga was closed, Shino chose this moment to interject his own comments. "Clan Aburame will not have a problem with my joining the hunter-nin, Hokage-sama. My clan has a long tradition of ANBU members, and if it comes down to clan responsibilities," he gave a slight shrug, "I have two first cousins a couple of years younger than myself who would make acceptable clan heirs."

Tsunade nodded. "When you're inducted as a full member, bring your father in to see me and we'll work something out. Now then," she straightened, picking a pile of scrolls up off her desk. "We've got a little paperwork to finalize, and then I'll hand you over to these two."

The next fifteen minutes were a blur of signing papers and repeating oaths to the two chuunin, as they filled out the forms that would render them trainees of Konoha's Hunter-nin and made the necessary financial arrangements. They were privately a little surprised by the sheer number of fail-safes that had been built into the contracts. There were clauses guaranteeing them a stipend while they were in training, legal arrangements to protect them if a mission for the hunter-nin, which by necessity would be done under a codename, forced them to fail or abandon a mission they had been openly assigned. Forms with basic identification information and history had to be filled out to start a supplementary 'black-ops' file for their hunter-nin missions that would only be accessible by the Hokage and their commander. There were a couple of paragraphs covering medical treatment for injuries occurred while on a mission as hunter-nin, briefly describing a subset of the medical forces that neither had known existed, and a form that would function as a basic living will until they were brought in as full members, at which time they'd be required to draw up a formal one.

Once they'd finally finished the paperwork, the two hunter-nin led their new trainees into a small office just down the hall from Tsunade's. Closing the door behind himself and quietly activating a silencing technique that would permit them to speak freely, Jakkaru watched the two teens. They appeared to be a combination of shell-shocked and ecstatic, and he knew that their recruitment hadn't sunk in yet. He had something of a vested interest in these two, as he'd been the one to evaluate them and it had been largely on the basis of his report that Ryouken had consented to allow them a test.

Ryouken quickly began to describe the training program. "Right, here's how it's going to be. The two of you will be trained by whatever members of the division are in the village at the time. Each of us has a variety of methods, but we all possess the same basic set of skills – tracking, assassination, and body disposal. We'll show you what you need to know and give you an idea of the areas of skills you need to work on. You'll be expected to build your own particular methods on your own, because what works for one us won't necessarily work for you. You can ask other members of the division for help, but do remember that there are certain oddities inherent in the work we do and there's no way to guarantee that any one of us will be in the village for long. This means that your training will be sporadic. Expect to be called out for training at pretty much any time. There will be times when you spend six or seven days at a time training with us for sixteen to eighteen hours a day, and there will be times when you won't see more than one of us for days. With me so far?"

The pair nodded silently. Jakkaru thought it was likely that they didn't quite understand, but as long as they had the basic idea that was okay.

"Once a month, we'll arrange a mission for the pair of you. The details will vary, but they probably won't go beyond B-rank. Anything higher and folks will start to ask questions. These missions serve as performance evaluations. We'll probably have a hunter-nin shadowing you to see what you do and what you need to improve on. At the end of six months, we'll make a decision about formally inducting you. We may decide to keep you in training, we may decide to get you your masks. It all depends."

The two nodded again. "Your training will start in two days," Ryouken said, turning to his second-in-command. "Jakkaru, who's in the village at the moment?"

Said hunter looked at the ceiling, running through the squad in his mind. "Well, the two of us, obviously. Fukurou is in, as is Koumori, although she's due to leave at the end of the week. Kobura will be here for a while, but he's on medical leave and the last I'd heard was that he was ordered to refrain from training for another few days. Teria sent in a message with one of her little birdies a few hours back saying she got her mark and should be in within the next couple of weeks."

"What about Feretto, Kawauso, and Mujina?"

Jakkaru shook his head. "All out on long-term hunts. We'll be lucky if they get back within the next two months. If I may, taicho, we might want to use Mitarashi-san for some of their training. She likes them and there are very few people better at disguise when she wants to apply herself, not to mention that she's an excellent assassin."

"That may become necessary." Ryouken seemed to consider that for a moment, then gave himself a shake before turning to the silent teens.

"Right, here's the deal. Obviously, you aren't going to know who the hunter-nin training you are. They'll identify themselves to you by calling you 'puppies' or 'Jakkaru's pups'." At the looks of confusion on Shino and Hinata's faces, he explained further. "Jakkaru was the one who brought your names up for consideration. Until formally instated, trainees are usually referred to as their sponsor's codename's young."

The pair cast a surprised look at the hunter-nin leaning on the wall. Uncomfortable with the attention, he shrugged. "Word got around that a pair of thirteen-year-olds were growing fast and Mitarashi-san's name was being tossed around. I got curious, figured out who they meant, and began to keep an eye on you. I saw potential."

Hinata bowed to Jakkaru, Shino feeling the motion at his shoulder and matching her. "Thank you, Jakkaru-san." Hinata said softly.

"Ah, no problem." Jakkaru rubbed the side of his head. He dropped his hand and pushed away from the wall. "I'll see you two day after tomorrow. We'll start with a full evaluation and I'll introduce you to the members we've got in the village."

"Jakkaru will be your primary contact until you're brought in as full hunter-nin," Ryouken told them. "Go to him with questions and problems if you have any. Any last questions?" Hinata and Shino shook their heads. "Then you're dismissed."

Hinata and Shino left the Hokage tower in a slight daze, still riding the euphoric high. "We did it," Hinata murmured. Shino nodded in agreement, his hive buzzing agreeably, the resulting hum in his bones making him feel almost giddy.

In the plaza in front of the tower, the two separated, moving quickly from a walk to a run. Despite the fact that it was getting on to dinnertime, however, neither went home – Shino took off at an angle while Hinata went in the opposite direction to clan Hyuuga's compound.

Hinata reached the cemetery quickly, dropping to a walk as she reached the gates. It was an unwritten law that running or using teleportation techniques was considered taboo within the cemetery walls, except in cases of extreme emergency. She quickly picked her way in the fading light towards Kiba's stone, dropping to her knees before it. "We did it," she whispered fiercely. "We're there."

It took Shino a little longer to reach the Memorial Stone, but he was fortunate enough to find himself alone when he arrived. Landing in a crouch in front of Kiba's name, the Aburame let some of his control over his hive loosen, allowing some of the insects out of his sleeves and collar to work off the excess energy. _We did it, my friend. We're the Hunter-nin's newest trainees. We've been assigned a primary mentor and we'll be starting in two days._ He straightened up, absentmindedly calling his hive back to him as he did so. _It's late, so I can't stay long, but this couldn't wait._

Both Hinata and Shino were late to dinner that night. Aburame Shibi just raised an eyebrow at his son, picking up on the high level of excitement still humming throughout Shino's body, before returning to his meal with a slight chuckle. Halfway across the village, Hyuuga Hiashi gave an internal sigh, asking his daughter what had kept her. On hearing that Tsunade had summoned her, he'd nodded once and gone back to his food. As little as he liked for the household routine to be altered, a Hokage's orders took precedence.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

In the Hokage tower, Tsunade and Shizune finished up with the last of the paperwork rendering Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino the newest members of Konoha's Hunter-nin.

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A/N: *Sinks into deep bow* Perdonadme. This is over a week late, and I have no real excuse. It is also rather unfortunately short, but I couldn't really extend it without it becoming obscenely large. And, to add final insult, it is unbeta'ed. **Pyrozia** had too much work to check it over for me. Once again, perdonadme.

This being said, I am going to do my level best to get my act back together and get back into my original system of updating every fortnight. The next chapter should be longer too, and at the moment it looks like it's shaping up to cover a lot more time – something like a month to a month and a half.

Thank you to everyone who reviews/favorites/alerts for giving me a reason to get my lazy behind moving. It means a lot. Special thanks to **megi52**, **Sepsis**, **x-Malicious-Me-x**, **Kouden**, **QuietInsomniac**, and **White Rose of Oddity** for being repeat reviewers. You rock my socks.

Ryouken – Commander of the Hunter-nin. His codename literally means 'hunting dog'.

Next Chapter: Apprenticeship


	8. Apprenticeship

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Apprenticeship

The day after their recruitment into the hunter-nin, Hinata and Shino went to visit the Inuzuka. By unspoken arrangement, they met up just outside of the section of neighborhood dominated by the canid-loving clan before heading in together. Unsurprisingly, they hadn't gotten far when Inuzuka Ichirou and Hiroto appeared on either side, companions in tow.

"Hey Hina, Shino!" one of them called out cheerfully. "How're our favorite itoko doing?"

"Very well, Ichirou-san," Shino answered, dryly. "But don't let Hana-san hear you say that."

"What, that you two're our favorites?" the other asked, falling into step with the two chuunin. "Nah, she won't care. And I'm Ichirou, that's Hiroto."

Ichirou and Hiroto were brothers, and many were under the mistaken impression they were twins, an impression the two encouraged. In point of fact, the two were eighteen months apart, Ichirou being the older, but they looked practically identical, especially now that they were done growing. They both stood at a stocky 175cm, sporting tousled brown hair with a cowlick, laughing brown eyes, and the Inuzuka clan tattoos. As if that wasn't enough, their companions were nearly identical as well, two great brown wolf-like dogs whose shoulders came up nearly to the hip.

"So, what brings you by our stretch of the village?" Hiroto asked, walking backwards ahead of them. "We haven't seen you in a couple of weeks now."

"Missions," Hinata explained softly. "We just got back two days ago and sensei wasn't happy with us."

"Wasn't happy with you?" Hiroto repeated, eyebrow raising. "Wait, don't tell me…"

"You did!" Ichirou snickered. "You went on a mission without your sensei!"

"Oooh boy." Hiroto whistled through his teeth. "That'd tick her off alright."

"So what's she got lined up for you two?" Ichirou asked.

"Genjutsu training," Hinata and Shino said in unison. The brothers winced.

"Anyway," Ichirou said, stretching, "If you're looking for Tsume-obasan, she's out on a mission."

"Hana's here though," Hiroto added, turning around. "She's in the main kennels – two litters were born last night and another's supposed to come today."

Hinata turned towards the kennels, unable to resist the urge to go see the brand new puppies. Shino, meanwhile, was hailed by an older man with a cane. Before long the two were immersed in the daily happenings of the clan, Hinata watching Hana gently examine the youngest members of the Inuzuka pack and keeping the younger children out of the veterinarian's way, Shino exchanging pleasantries and catching up with some of the adults while patiently answering the questions of the children in the Academy.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

While her students visited with the Inuzuka, Yuuhi Kurenai was in the Hokage's office, listening as the older woman gave her a much-edited version of the previous night's events. Despite the gaps, however, Kurenai was able to put together the whole picture. Hinata and Shino had succeeded. The hunter-nin had taken them on.

She was proud of them, of course, but she was also a little depressed by this turn of events. Yes, she'd known that once they made chuunin they'd start to be placed on other teams and sent out on missions without her, but she hadn't expected the change to come so soon. She'd only had them a little over a year, after all.

Tsunade seemed to pick up on the younger woman's train of thought, smiling at her across the desk. "It's not like you'll never see them again, Kurenai. You'll still be able to train with them and go on the odd mission together."

"I know, Tsunade-sama. It just happened so fast…"

"That's true, it did. However, it's probably the best thing we can do for them at this point."

Kurenai nodded. "I understand and agree, Tsunade-sama. Is there anything else you need me for?"

The blonde shook her head. "Not today, Kurenai. If you can keep working with the two of them on a regular basis, you should do so. I'll let you have them back for longer missions every few weeks, and you'll probably get sent out with them every so often for missions requiring larger cells." She paused for a minute, then went on. "Oh, and Kurenai?" a smirk crept across Tsunade's lips. "I hear you've been keeping an eye out for an apartment for Hinata. Let me know if you find something, and we'll see what we can do about simplifying the lease."

Kurenai blinked in surprise. That was tantamount to saying the Hokage's office would be negotiating Hinata's rent, ensuring that the girl would have no trouble paying her bills on her stipend. "As you say, Hokage-sama." Bowing briefly, she left the office and headed downstairs, in search of her team.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shino and Hinata managed to extricate themselves from the Inuzuka clan in time to meet Kurenai for training. Their sensei seemed to have calmed down a little since they'd seen her last, as their training session was relatively less grueling. Once they'd finished for the day, Kurenai called them to her.

"The Hokage called me in this morning," she told them, voice even. "I hear congratulations are in order."

Hinata and Shino glanced warily at each other. They were wildly happy to have made it into the hunter-nin, but neither was terribly pleased by the thought of leaving their sensei. Whatever worries they might have had were laid to rest when Kurenai smiled at them.

"I am so proud of you both," she said softly, laying a gentle hand on each of her student's shoulders. There was a moment of companionable silence, before the genjutsu mistress began to lead them into town. "I think we should celebrate," she declared. "We'll have dinner at my place and invite Anko. She's been eager to hear how her kohai have been doing."

Once they entered the village proper, Shino was sent to find Anko, while Hinata accompanied their sensei back to her apartment. After sorting through her kitchen for a few minutes, Kurenai discovered that she was out of a few necessary ingredients (and a number of not-immediately-necessary-but-recommended ones as well), and, tossing over a purse and a list, sent Hinata to collect them.

As it was a warm, clear afternoon, the market was full of people, mostly shinobi who had just come off duty – civilians tended to do their shopping in the morning. As Hinata finished with her purchases, she turned around to find herself facing her teammate. He took one of the bags of food, and they headed out of the market together.

"Senpai will be meeting us there," Shino told Hinata. "She was in the middle of something when I saw her, but she said she'd be done in the next forty minutes or so, counting in cleanup."

Hinata nodded, deciding that asking for details about the 'something' was probably a bad idea. The pair walked along in companionable quiet, and were about to turn down one of the quieter side streets when someone in the market hailed them.

"Hinata-san, Shino-san!"

Turning around, they found themselves faced with Team 10, Ino towing Chouji behind her. Several steps behind them came Shikamaru, hands in his pockets and wearing his perpetually tired expression.

"Good afternoon Ino-san, Chouji-san," Hinata said softly, bowing her head in greeting. "Shikamaru-san".

"We haven't seen you two in forever!" Ino said, almost petulantly. "How're we supposed to congratulate you on becoming chuunin if we can't even find you?"

Shino bowed his head, hiding the slight smirk behind his collar. "That would present difficulties, yes."

"So…congratulations!" Ino chirped. "What's it like? Any different?"

"Why are you asking us, Ino-san?" Hinata asked, "when your teammate is chuunin as well?"

Ino made a dismissive gesture with the hand not holding Chouji's sleeve. "Getting anything out of that lazybones is more trouble than it's worth. Really, though, what's it like? There's got to be some differences – more interesting missions, for one thing, none of this D-rank stuff."

"There is still a limit on what we are allowed to take," Shino reminded her. "We're still green chuunin. Not to mention that many of the more highly-ranked missions have an age limit."

"Fine," Ino sighed dramatically, "Just tear down my dreams, why don't you?"

"Ino, really," Chouji told his teammate, "If you're that curious about what being chuunin is like, we can ask Asuma-sensei about testing in Iwa in a few months."

"Hmmm…" The blonde girl pondered that a moment. "I suppose so, but I still would like to know!" She turned to Kurenai's two students. "Come on, you can tell us what your last mission was like, can't you?"

Shino and Hinata exchanged a look. "Ah, yes, Ino-san, I think so," Hinata said slowly.

"It would be easiest if you were willing to walk with us," Shino cut in, lifting the bag in his hand. "We need to get these back to Kurenai-sensei."

"You're going shopping for your sensei?"

"Sensei's decided that we're having a team dinner tonight. She's cooking."

"Huh." Ino considered that for a moment. "We can walk along with you for a bit, I think."

"Don't forget we're supposed to meet Asuma-sensei," Shikamaru said softly. It was the first time he'd spoken since the teams met.

Ino shrugged. "So we're a little late. It's no big deal." She moved up next to Hinata and Shino, linking arms with the younger girl. "So, spill."

The group moved down the road to Kurenai's apartment building, Team 10 listening as Shino and Hinata gave a brief rundown of their last mission. Once they'd finished, closing with their delivery of Nobu to the outpost, the group separated, Team 10 turning down a sidestreet on their way to the barbecue restaurant they frequented.

Once they got to Kurenai's apartment, their sensei set Shino to setting the table while Hinata helped her cook. Anko arrived about five minutes before the meal was ready, knocking at the living room window. Shino let her in, then was forced to duck as she tossed a kunai his way in greeting. "Shino my kohai! Where's Sunny 'n 'Nai-chan?"

"In here, Anko," Kurenai called.

Anko bounced into the kitchen, bestowing a hug on Kurenai and a flung kunai on Hinata in the same moment. Hinata dodged the kunai, but was unable to escape the hug that followed it. "Sunny! You've been growing your hair out."

Startled by the non sequitur, Hinata reached up and touched her hair, now hanging to just below her shoulders. "I – I just haven't had time to cut it, senpai, that's all."

"Hmm." The volatile special jounin pulled back, examining it critically. "I think it suits you. Makes you look far more badass than your original haircut did, anyway."

"Anko, are you evaluating my student's haircuts based on how 'badass' they look?"

"Oh come on 'Nai-chan! How better?"

The two older women bickered good-naturedly as the food was set on the table, and the meal was eaten with lighthearted conversation, Anko and Kurenai taking turns to tell stories picked up from the mishaps of the other jounin while the other interjected their own commentary. Shino and Hinata listened quietly, occasionally making their own comments. Once the dishes had been cleared away, Anko sat back in her chair, crossing her arms in front of her, and regarded the two chuunin seriously.

"There's a whisper of new recruits going around."

Hinata ducked her head, looking at her hands. Shino, more willing to take a gamble, nodded almost imperceptibly.

Anko's face softened, her lips turning up in a smile very different from her usual sadistic grin. "You should be proud of yourselves. You've come a long, long way in the past six months."

"Thank you, senpai," Hinata whispered.

"For what, telling the truth?" Leaning forward, Anko mussed the younger girl's hair. "Hope you two are ready for this," she continued. "If you ever thought training with me 'n Nai-chan was bad, then you'd best watch out. Basic ANBU training's bad enough, but I've heard the hunter-nin are brutal."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Anko had not been exaggerating. Early the next morning, Shino and Hinata met Jakkaru out in one of the training grounds farthest from the village proper, where they were less likely to be noticed. He was accompanied by a man and a woman, who he introduced as Koumori and Fukurou respectively. The three of them put the two recruits through their paces over the next three days, drilling them mercilessly.

To Hinata and Shino's very great surprise, they found the pressure to be good for their performance, as the constant drive to be faster, sharper, smarter forced them to delve deeply into their knowledge of techniques, bringing up tricks that they had thought undeveloped or half-forgotten. Shino worked more closely in concert with his hive than he'd ever done before, and Hinata managed to pull off a near-complete version of what she was coming to call her Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho , an accurate Hakke Rokujuyon Sho, and a nearly-complete Kaiten, although the latter left her dizzy.

On the fourth day, Jakkaru commandeered a training ground next to a sandy bank of the river, and gave them a breakdown of the assessment results, making lists in the loose dirt with a stick.

"Firstly, I'm going to come right out and tell you now that you are both excellent trackers for your age and experience level. That does not change the fact that any of the division could hunt circles around you, though. So you'll be spending time learning how to track in all conditions and through as many environments as we can manage. We want you good enough to track a mouse through a thunderstorm, but I think you're good enough that we might just manage that in six months." Jakkaru wrote _Skills to develop_ across the dirt, drew a line underneath it, and added _Tracking_ below.

"Next, combat. As you're probably aware, hunter-nin don't engage in the usual type of shinobi battles. The hunter-nin operates with ambushes, and the most commonly used techniques in our arsenals are kill strikes. Once again, you're both pretty good for your age and level of experience, but you're going to need to fine-tune what you know."

Koumori took up the discussion, turning to Hinata. "I've worked with Jyuuken users before, and I know that the form was designed for combat, specifically against multiple opponents, not assassinations. You're pretty good with the forms, but you're not fast enough for our purposes yet. I'd suggest you up your speed and concentrate on the fastest techniques – don't neglect the longer ones, but remember that any extra second you give your mark is an extra second they can use against you. Furthermore, and don't take this the wrong way pup, but you're probably never going to be as proficient with the Jyuuken as a lot of your relatives, you simply have a different body type and naturally move differently than they do. That you recognize this and have started to compensate for it is promising. Keep that up, and I'd suggest that you train with another Jyuuken user whenever you get the chance."

Fukurou pointed at Shino. "You're more compatible with your hive than most Aburame your age, which is a good thing, but you're still operating a little too big. Economize your movements. Right now you're using a carving knife – let's see you using a scalpel. You also need to improve your taijutsu. Like little White, here," she pointed to Hinata, "You mainly need to get faster."

Jakkaru listened to his subordinate's descriptions, writing _Taijutsu_ on the _Skills to develop_ list, adding notes on general advice. That done, he spoke up again. "Kurenai's shown you how to hide in a forest and to render yourself unnoticeable. You've apparently also figured out how to render yourself largely forgettable in crowds or large groups, though I don't know if you did that consciously or not. We'll help you learn to do that without the genjutsu, how to hide in the shadows, and, something you haven't covered, we'll teach you how to hide in plain sight. Disguises," he added at the confusion on his trainee's faces. "Persona work. Stuff like that." _Shadows_ went on the _Skills to develop_ list, while a new list titled _Skills to acquire_ was created and _Disguise/Persona_ written down.

Koumori spoke up again. "One thing we didn't test you on was body disposal. A lot of the people we go after have a wealth of information on them. Sometimes you'll be requested to return the body to the village so the scientists and researchers can get information out of it, sometimes you'll need to make it look like animals got to it, sometimes you'll have to destroy it on site so no traces are left."

"The Black pup has an advantage – his hive can do some of that already and he can use them to find local scavengers. However, you both are going to have to learn most of this from scratch. There's some summoning involved, a fair amount of learning how to read your environment, a handful of jutsu we use and a number of ways to apply others, and sometimes it just amounts to literally cutting up the body, which is pretty messy."

Hinata and Shino nodded as _Body disposal_ went on the _Skills to acquire_ list. Jakkaru added _Basic seals_ below that. "Often, the best way to get a body back here is to seal it in a scroll. We'll show you how to do that."

Fukurou took up the assessment. "I've heard good things about your skill with poisons and antidotes, little White, and Black showed us the medical jutsu he's learning. They're technically not necessary skills for a hunter-nin to have, but they're pretty useful. No matter how fast you move, it's impossible to avoid injury completely, and there are often times when you have to get out of the kill zone fast, especially if your mark has backup. Being able to patch yourself up is always a good thing. In fact," her voice turned mischievous, "you can train with Kobura for that. He only had basic first aid field training, and since he got himself hospitalized after his last mission he was going on about learning a few medical jutsu so he can avoid the place."

_Poisons and antidotes_ and _Medical_ went on the _Skills to develop_ list. "Anything else?" Jakkaru asked, regarding the two lists in the dirt. Fukurou and Koumori glanced at each other, then shook their heads.

"Not that I can think of," Fukurou said, stretching.

Koumori shrugged. "There'll probably be some things that need fine-tuning as they go along, but this is a good start."

Jakkaru nodded. "Alright, you two puppies go ahead and clear out. I'll figure out who's available and what we can start with now. We'll pick up with this again tomorrow."

Hinata and Shino did not need to be told twice. With a quick bow and goodbye to the three hunter-nin, they returned to the village.

The next day saw Hinata and Shino plunged into a never ending cycle of brutal training and 18-hour days. Jakkaru was a near-constant in those first three weeks, although the rest of the hunter-nin were a more sporadic presence. Fukurou went out on a mission two days after the end of the assessment period, and Kobura came to join them. He and Koumori turned up every so often – true to Fukurou's prediction, Kobura began co-opting the two for the lessons on medical techniques he'd talked a medic into giving him. While Hinata was capable of doing the most basic healing techniques, largely thanks to her excellent chakra control, Shino picked up the discipline quickly, putting his extensive knowledge of anatomy to use.

After the first three weeks or so, Jakkaru handed the pair off to Teria, who'd come back in just after Fukurou left and had only just been cleared for duty again. Even by the standards of the hunter-nin they'd met thus far, she was a little strange.

Teria made no bones about the fact that she was Inuzuka, and seemed largely unconcerned by the possibility of her identity being compromised. Her two companions – some sort of large terrier – followed her everywhere, and beyond the traces of dyes in their fur left over from their undercover mission there was nothing to disguise them. Teria would take them deep into the forest, showing them how to use the traces of wild animals to track, teaching them how to recognize when the local animals had changed their habits in response to the presence of humans. She seemed more at ease among the wildlife than in the presence of people, even other hunter-nin.

It did not take the pair long to realize that the reason Teria was so casual about her identity was that she spent little time in the village – she simply wasn't around often enough for people to put the pieces together. When asked, Jakkaru confirmed that the woman had spent a grand total of three months out of the past two years in the village. She'd been on missions for the other 21.

Another two weeks continued primarily under Teria's tutelage until the woman simply vanished one day, having gone out on another mission, this one projected to take at least six months. Jakkaru was unconcerned, and gave the two the day off. Shino spent it with his father, catching up after weeks of sixteen to eighteen hour days. Hinata spent half the day in the Hyuuga compound, replenishing the stores of ointments, before going over to Kurenai's.

After about five weeks as apprentices to the hunter-nin, Hinata and Shino had begun to understand that being one of the elite group required more than a simple set of skills. It required a specific mindset. To be a hunter-nin, you needed to be willing to blend into the background, a rarity in a village like Konoha, where children aspired to be like the Yondaime, or the Copy-Cat, whose best-known techniques tended to be flashy. You also needed to be something of a loner. Hunter-nin tended to work alone or in pairs, and could be away from the village for weeks or even months at a time. By the standards of the hunter-nin, Hinata and Shino were positively garrulous.

As their understanding grew, so did their skill set. Their tracking skills improved dramatically, as did their ability to hide. Taijutsu spars got ever more deadly, pace speeding up as they got faster and learned new forms. Shino got a multitude of chances to practice his medical jutsu, patching the two of them up after spars. Jakkaru talked sometimes about sending Hinata to Shizune for an advanced education in poisons, but kept putting it off, deciding that he wanted her to be better-grounded first.

The end of the fifth and the start of the sixth week ended up being something of a respite. From what Hinata and Shino managed to put together, one of the operatives in the field had managed to successfully infiltrate a non-shinobi criminal organization that routinely employed a cadre of missing-nin, and had called for backup. This mission had been in the works for over a year, and none of the division members wanted to let the chance slip past them – they rarely got a chance to take out so many missing-nin at once. Just about every hunter-nin not already on a mission was called out and a couple hunting marks in the area were diverted for the operation. The highest-ranked hunter-nin in Konoha proper was Saru, a field operative whose specialty was hunting down Iwa missing-nin who believed Hi no Kuni a good place to roam. Saru was currently on medical leave for a broken arm. While the medic-nin had repaired the fracture, the new bone was still weak and they had yet to clear him for duty.

The week was split between catching up on sleep lost during the previous month and working on their family techniques. For Shino, this meant spending long days with his father, learning the finer nuances of both hive care and combat. Hinata had a slightly trickier time. Since her father had decided to stop training her years before, she'd taught herself everything she knew about the Jyuuken, using scrolls and observing other shinobi to learn new techniques. So she dove into the clan records, ensconcing herself in a corner of the clan archives that contained training and technique scrolls dating back to the clan's days in Kaminari no Kuni. When not in the archives, she could be found either practicing in one of the outer training grounds or working in her lab in the Aburame household.

Their rest, such as it was, was brought to a screeching halt by the return of a half-dozen members of the hunter-nin and the worst rainstorm the village had dealt with in years. Hinata and Shino were woken up at four in the morning by hunter-nin knocking on their windows and called out to meet Jakkaru at one of the distant training grounds. They were soaked to the skin by the time they made it to the designated location. Jakkaru met them accompanied by a hunter-nin he introduced as Kawauso.

"This is the best opportunity for you to practice tracking through bad weather that we could possibly ask for." Jakkaru informed them, sounding far too chipper for the hour and weather. "Kawauso will take a five minute head start and then you two will track her. You'll get three days or until the storm ends, whichever comes first."

Hinata and Shino exchanged a glance. It was still dark, and cold rain was pouring from the sky. To make matters worse, a wind had sprung up, dropping the temperature by several degrees. These were going to be a miserable three days. Kawauso leaped into the trees and vanished. Five minutes later, Jakkaru released Hinata and Shino with a "good luck!" and they tore off after her.

What followed would later be remembered as one of the most miserable experiences of their time as trainees. Kawauso led them a merry chase through the woods surrounding Konoha, keeping them on the move and constantly guessing. The rain inhibited their usual abilities, largely grounding Shino's hive and reducing Hinata's range with the Byakugan, dampening their senses, forcing them to rely on every trick they'd ever learned about tracking. On top of that, the rain continued to fall for hours, sometimes lightening to a light drizzle, sometimes pounding down on their heads, so they couldn't dry off.

Back in Konoha proper, the village battened down the hatches to weather out the storm. For three days straight the rain-swept streets remained bare and the wind rattled and whined around corners. Civilians almost universally stayed indoors, and only a handful of shinobi ventured outside, either to train or run errands.

Lee was one of the rare few who actually attempted to train during the storm. While doing kata at Team Gai's usual training ground, he noticed a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning to get a better look, he noticed two figures crouched at the base of a tree, examining something. Suddenly they stood and took off, but not before Lee recognized them as his Eternal Rival's cousin and her teammate. Cheering their dedication to their training and resolving to take them as an example, Lee returned to his kata and didn't think about it for a while.

The rain finally began to let up on the third day, and it had changed to a light drizzle by the time Jakkaru called a halt to the exercise. Hinata, Shino, Jakkaru, Kawauso, and Ryouken-taicho sat in a clearing on the edge of the village while the three hunter-nin gave their assessment. Kawauso was matter-of-fact, if a little thoughtless.

"For your age, experience, and level of training you did pretty well. I was going easy on you, but you managed to keep up most of the time. You only fell for a handful of the false trails I laid and usually figured it out pretty quickly, so that's something."

Jakkaru was more upbeat, scratching yet another set of lists in the dirt as he went over what they'd done well, what needed work, and what they still needed to learn.

Ryouken-taicho went last, talking over Jakkaru as he muttered to himself. "When I first settled on a six-month training period for you two, that was my best-case scenario. I fully expected we'd need to extend it by a couple of months before you came in as full members. You're about a quarter of the way through that period – if you can keep up the rate you've been advancing at, then I would not be surprised if you got your masks at the end of the six months."

Startled, Hinata and Shino thanked him, Hinata bowing slightly. Chuckling softly, the commander of Konoha's hunter-nin left, tapping Jakkaru once on the shoulder as he did so. Looking up from his notes, Jakkaru looked a little startled to see his trainees still in front of him. "Right, take eighteen hours, get yourself cleaned up, fed, warm, and get some sleep. I'll see you back here at 0700 tomorrow."

They did not need to be told twice. Bowing to Jakkaru and Kawauso, the pair made their way back to the village and all the amenities of civilization.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As Hinata and Shino became warm and full for the first time in days, Team Gai was in Lee's apartment. Training in the rain had given the enthusiastic boy a terrible head cold, and Gai had insisted that the rest of the team "go visit our youthful comrade in his illness." While Gai made a Healthful Soup in Lee's kitchen, Neji and Tenten kept Lee company.

"Really, Lee," Tenten said, exasperated. "If you're going to train at your usual pace in the rain, then of course you're going to get a cold."

"But Tenten," Lee protested, "how could I not train, when I had such a wonderful example to follow?"

"Example?"

"Why yes! I had been training for two hours when I saw Hinata-san and Shino-san. They looked to be practicing and improving themselves. Once I had seen them, I could not help but do the same!"

"You saw Hinata-sama?" Neji asked, frowning slightly.

"That is correct, my Eternal Rival!"

"Huh."

"Neji?" Tenten was looking at her other teammate now.

"It's nothing," the Hyuuga brushed her concerns aside.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jakkaru reviewed his lists with a certain sense of satisfaction. He'd made something of a gamble going for these two, since they were so young, but they were proving to be worth it. The two days after the mad hunt in the rain had been used for tutorials – he'd shown them some of the signs Kawauso had left behind that they'd missed and had them study as many as he could think of.

"Jakkaru."

He looked up to find his captain standing in front of him. "Ryouken-taicho. Can I help you with something?"

Ryouken placed a scroll down on the desk between them. "This just came in. Hokage-sama wants to see how our trainees do in the field and make a statement while she's at it. I think this should serve as a good assessment mission. Your trainees have done well in stimulations, it's high time we saw how they did in the field."

Jakkaru picked up the scroll and read through it. Once he'd finished, he barked out a laugh and handed it back to his captain. "They should blow this mission right out of the water."

It was impossible to tell with the mask, but he got the very distinct impression that Ryouken was smiling. "Excellent."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shino pushed open the door to the Hokage's office to find Hinata, Kurenai, and Tsunade waiting inside. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to the desk, prepared to apologize for his tardiness.

Tsunade waved a hand, cutting him off. "Great, you're all here. I've got a mission that needs the three of you."

"Suna has finally chosen a Godaime Kazekage, and it seems the boy wants to begin his reign by cleaning up the missing-nin harassing villages within his borders and strengthening ties with Konoha. To that end, he has requested a squad of shinobi skilled in tracking for a joint mission. It's a low A-rank, but I think the three of you are capable."

Kurenai blinked in confusion. Joint missions between villages were incredibly rare. Villages hated them because they could be seen as demonstrating weakness or become an opportunity for ambush. The ranking would make it attractive to Konoha, but to send a pair of chuunin and a relatively new jounin?

"According to the request, Suna's border villages are being harassed by a group of bandits, and this has apparently been going on for at least a year now. They're led by a missing-nin, and it's thought that there may be as many as five in the group. The rest seem to be ex-soldiers or civilians. The reason that nobody's hunted them down before is complicated, but it basically boils down to a lack of manpower and some clever use of politics on the part of the bandits. Every time anyone's tried to go after them, they keep crossing back and forth along the border between Kaze no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Since relations between Konoha and Suna have been strained, nobody's wanted to cross the borders after them."

The Hokage placed a mission scroll on the table in front of her. "I've had our intelligence teams look this over and it seems legitimate. The three of you will meet up with three Suna-nin near the border and go from there. It'll be a joint command between Kurenai and their commanding officer – it's generally understood that he'll defer to you in Hi no Kuni and you'll defer to him in Kaze no Kuni."

Tsunade eyed them seriously. "I do not want to hear that this mission failed. If you think something is wrong, get out. I'm sending you three because you've got the skills and are fairly valuable to the village. I want this alliance to work, and you'll be showing that. However, if they betray you or try anything funny, kick as much ass as you have to and get back here as quickly as you can. I'm somewhat familiar with two of the names the Kazekage gave me, and they seem trustworthy, but be careful. You leave tomorrow."

Kurenai and her squad bowed and left the Hokage's office, making plans to meet at the village gates at 0800 the next morning. Once they exited the tower, they split up, heading to collect their gear.

Hinata and Shino each found a slip of paper on their beds, five words written on it. _This is your first assessment.

* * *

_

A/N:

Again, I am late. I do, however, have a valid excuse this time. I'd forgotten that I was going into my second round of exams/essays/etc when I made my fortnight prediction last chapter. Since my last posting, I've had: 8 essays (including two rewrites), 4 presentations (3 formal, 1 informal), and 2 exams. Not to mention reams of Medical, Visa, and Housing paperwork, extra rehearsals, and concerts. Ah, the joys of being a college student.

I am also sorry to say that I don't know when I'll be updating next. The next two weeks are chock-full of term papers and final exams, so I'll be working exclusively on those. Many apologies, but I need those grades to be as good as I can manage!

Thanks as usual to my nutcase of a little sister, **Pyrozia**, for beta-reading this for me.

Anonymous or PM-disabled reviewers:

CityLightsFallingLeaves – I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and a little stunned that it made you giddy. You're not the only one to see a reference to Terrier, but I swear it was unintentional. The hunter-nin are a lot of fun. Haku is the only hunter-nin we see in action, although Ao (one of the Mizukage's guards) wears the hunter-nin uniform. Basically, that means I get to take what amounts to a footnote in Naruto canon and mess with it however I see fit.

Koumori – A hunter-nin who generally operates in the wilderness. His codename means 'bat'.

Fukurou – Like Koumori, she generally stays in the wilds. Her codename means 'owl'.

Kobura – Unusual among the hunter-nin for his preference for urban hunts. His name means 'cobra'.

Teria – Known to be a member of the Inuzuka clan, she stays in the wilds as much as possible and avoids people when she can. Her name means 'terrier'.

Kawauso – Usually operates near Mizu no Kuni. Her codename means 'otter'.

Saru – Usually targets Iwa nin. His codename means 'monkey' and is a reference to the Japanese Macaque and the Yonbi's presence in Iwa.

Next Chapter: Of Assessments and Politics


	9. Of Assessments and Politics

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Of Assessments and Politics

Kurenai met her students at the main gate to the village, pack slung over her back. Shino arrived a few minutes after she did, but Hinata was a good ten minutes late. The older woman noted the slight crease between Hinata's brows that usually meant her family had been making trouble, but said nothing. If all went well, it wouldn't be much longer until the girl didn't have to report to her relatives every time she had a mission.

They checked out at the gates and set a brisk pace – it would take them about a day and a half to get to the rendezvous point. When they stopped for a brief lunch, Kurenai gave her two students finer details.

"Reports from the villages that have been hit say there are somewhere between twelve and fifteen of the bandits, but only a few wear scratched hitai-ate. It's possible that some of the bandits may simply not like to advertise their missing-nin status and it's also possible that the hitai-ate are stolen, there's no good way to tell. Our job is to hunt them down and eliminate them. The Kazekage would like one alive, preferably one of the ringleaders, but that's the Suna team's responsibility. We're to meet the team at the border, somewhere near these bandits's range. They'll have more information for us."

Both Hinata and Shino nodded. It seemed straightforward enough. Once the meal had been finished, they continued on to the border.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kankuro was muttering to himself as he paced. Temari, watching from her seat on a fallen tree, resisted the urge to smack her brother upside the head. "We're early," she reminded him. "We can't expect them for another couple of hours."

"I know!" Kankuro snapped back. Seeing Temari frown and drop her hand to her fan, he ducked his head. "Sorry," he muttered, "But last time I was on a mission that involved Konoha-nin, it didn't go so well. And Gaara needs this mission to work, so…" He trailed off, but Temari understood.

"Just relax, would you? You're making me antsy."

The two of them were occupying half of a meadow in what was generally known as the scrublands. There were trees, but they were smaller and less densely spaced than the great forests at the heart of Hi no Kuni and surrounding Konoha. Meadows full of tall, hardy grasses and shrubs dominated the landscape. The dirt was sandier and the air dryer, as the forests transitioned to the unforgiving deserts of Kaze no Kuni. Their de-facto teammate, a jounin by the name of Isago, was sitting several feet away.

When Tsunade had told him she would be sending two chuunin and a jounin, Gaara had chosen the same complement. Temari and Kankuro were both going, that was non-negotiable. Choosing the jounin, however, proved to be more difficult. Both Gaara's older siblings had insisted Baki stay in the village to help their little brother keep an eye on things and watch his back. In the end, Baki had recommended Isago as one of the few jounin available who bore no grudge against Konoha. There were few enough of them in Suna, as the ranks of Suna's jounin and chuunin had been decimated in the disastrous attempt to invade Konoha a little under a year before.

Kankuro kept pacing, but had at least stopped muttering. Deciding that a little improvement was better than nothing, Temari let this pass. Leaning back, she was about to start cloud gazing (if the lazy bum found it interesting, perhaps she should see what it had to offer) when she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye.

A boy in a green coat and black goggles had dropped silently from the trees at the other side of the meadow. "Kankuro," Temari hissed, catching sight of the Konoha leaf on the newcomer's forehead. Turning sharply to follow his sister's line of sight, Kankuro bit off a curse.

By this time, all three of the Suna-nin were watching the figure across the meadow. A moment later, the figure disintegrated, and three more figures appeared from the growth. A black-haired woman in a white and black stylized battle dress with one red sleeve, a girl with indigo-blue hair and white eyes, and the boy whose clone had apparently been watching them.

This time Kankuro really did curse under his breath, and Temari couldn't blame him. The last time they'd seen these three particular Konoha-nin had been several months prior, in the Konoha morgue.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The little team had approached the rendezvous site carefully, on the lookout for anything that suggested a trap or other foul play. They agreed that it probably wasn't, because Suna was not likely to do anything so stupid given the state of the alliance between the two villages, but blindly marching in would have been, in Hinata and Shino's opinion, similarly foolish. They'd been watching the Suna team a good ten minutes before Shino used his Mushi bunshin to get their attention.

"This is going to be interesting," Shino muttered softly to his teammate as they left the shelter of the trees. The trio stopped about halfway across the meadow, Kurenai's two students flanking her.

"I take it you're the Suna-nin we're working with?" Kurenai asked.

The jounin pushed himself to his feet. "Most likely. My name is Isago."

"Yuuhi Kurenai, jounin. My students are Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino, both chuunin."

"I'm jounin as well. My teammates are Temari and Kankuro, also both chuunin."

"We've met," Shino said softly.

There was an awkward silence, broken by Kurenai. "Where do you want to begin, Isago-san?"

"Ah, right." the Suna-nin looked relieved at the change of subject. "A village was attacked two weeks ago – it's only about a day's travel from here." He pulled a map from his pouch. "We've been mapping out the attacks we can directly attribute to this group, trying to figure out where they've been holing up."

As the two teams approached each other, Hinata poked her teammate behind their sensei's back. "Be nice, Shino-kun." The quiet boy glanced sideways at her before bowing his head a fraction of an angle, a gesture Hinata understood to mean _Alright, I'll behave._

The map was examined and generally deemed to give inconclusive results. It was quickly agreed, though, that whoever was planning the raids was being very careful not to lead pursuers back to their base. They eventually decided to try the village that had just been attacked.

That night, the odd group made camp near a stream. There was an awkward moment where it looked like they might have separate fires, but in the end the six of them gathered around one large blaze, though it would have been easily possible to draw a line through the fire separating the two teams.

Once dinner had been finished and a basic watch rotation decided upon, Shino got the attention of the whole group for a general question. "I wish to ask permission to place a single kikai on each of you," he told the Suna-nin. "This way, should we become separated, I will be able to find you with relative ease."

"Your bugs drain chakra," Kankuro pointed out, watching the younger boy carefully.

Shino shrugged, lifting a hand to display his hive. "It is only damaging when there are a large number of them. A single female does not drain enough chakra to be noticeable, even for a civilian who has almost no chakra to draw on."

"And what about when the mission's over?" the Suna jounin asked, watching the insects that swarmed over the boy's upraised fingers.

"I will remove the insects. At any rate, females have been documented to live only three to four weeks away from the hive."

There was a moment of silence before Kankuro shrugged. "I've not got a problem with it." He frowned at Temari's sideways glance. "Yeah, I've fought the guy before, so I know he's not lying when he says he'd need a lot of bugs to really drain us. And besides, I'd bet he'll bug us anyway if we say no."

Shino made no comment at this, quietly releasing a kikai to perch inside Kankuro's hood.

Temari snorted. "Well, when you put it that way," she turned to Shino and held out a hand. The Aburame quietly placed a kikai on the tips of her fingers, and she held her hand up in front of her eyes. "Behave yourself, or I'll squash you flat," she informed the insect, before letting it crawl onto her shoulder.

Isago hesitated. He'd seen the remains of shinobi who'd gone up against an Aburame, and it had not been pretty. On the other hand, he didn't want to make the situation any more awkward than it already was, and he was pragmatic enough that the last thing he wanted to do was give up an advantage. He carefully took the kikai Shino offered him, placing it on his shoulder.

The rest of the night went quietly and the team packed up and moved out as quickly as they could the next morning. Nobody spoke much. Shino and Hinata were quiet people by nature and Kurenai, still a little leery of the Suna jounin, was more than happy to take her cue from them. Like Kurenai, Isago was more than willing to operate with caution around the jounin he had only just met. Unlike the genjutsu mistress, though, Isago knew a little bit about his opposite number. Some of Kurenai's more vicious techniques had brutalized the Suna-nin who got a little too close to the throng of civilians she was guarding at the time, and he'd heard a few mutters about a red-eyed jounin who could 'bring nightmares to life' from the survivors.

Temari and Kankuro, meanwhile, were perfectly content to keep quiet until they had a better read on the Konoha team. The mission was already fairly sensitive, which was why the Kazekage's siblings had been sent, and neither wanted to make it more difficult by angering the Konoha-nin. The whole deal was further complicated by the fact that Kankuro had fought one of them and then been too late to keep their teammate alive a mere seven weeks later.

By unspoken agreement the team dropped to a civilian's walking pace when they reached the outskirts of their target village shortly before noon. The shinobi were greeted with wary caution by the villagers, but they answered most of the questions Isago posed them. Kurenai managed to get a few details out of some of the villagers, but in general she let the Suna jounin handle the talking. The chuunin watched quietly, observing both the villagers and the damage – a burned barn and broken property. Most of the damage had been repaired or cleared away two weeks after the raid, but the marks were visible to their keen eyes.

Once Isago and Kurenai were satisfied with their questioning, the little group gathered to confer.

"The information is consistent with what we've gotten so far." Isago said. "The group descends en masse early in the morning before the villagers are really up for the day, then set one or two things on fire and break a few things to get attention. They then force the villagers to give up valuables, take some food, and take off. No real molestation of the women or children, nothing to suggest that they're planning to come back."

"So where do we go from here?" Temari wanted to know. "The trail's two weeks old, it'll be difficult to follow."

Kurenai smirked a little at that, surprising the Suna-nin. "There is a reason the Hokage sent us," she said dryly.

Isago and Temari looked a little confused. Kankuro groaned and smacked his forehead. "You're all trackers, aren't you. I mean, I know you are," he pointed at Shino, who nodded, "But you're a tracking team."

Kurenai shrugged. "Tracking is not my primary skill, but in essence you are correct."

"The bandits left the village heading north-east," Hinata told the group softly, the veins around her eyes bulging with the activation of her Byakugan. "It looks like they laid a false trail about a kilometer out, although it's a little hard to tell from here. The track I think is the false trail leads east from there, following the river. The real trail seems to lead south-east, but it's muddled." She made a noise of frustration. "They've doubled back at least twice, and…" she trailed off, suddenly realizing that everyone was looking at her, the Suna-nin practically gaping. With a little squeak, she turned bright red and looked down at her toes.

Shino reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. "It should be clearer once we have it in front of us," he said.

Hinata nodded, still bright red. Temari chuckled a little, adjusting her fan's weight across her shoulders. "I think I'm impressed," she said. "Lead on, oh experts."

Still flushing, Hinata led the group out of the village, Shino at her shoulder, checking for the signs of the bandit's passage. They moved at a slow lope, stopping occasionally as the two Konoha chuunin conferred over the traces of the bandit's passage. They managed to cover a good fifteen kilometers before Shino and Hinata began to have trouble following the trail in the fading light. Kurenai suggested a halt, and put her students to finding a good place to camp. Once they had, the group settled down for the night, feeling more relaxed in each other's company than they had the night before.

They set out again early the next morning. Shino and Hinata began having real trouble following the trail, and twice they had to backtrack, having been fooled by false trails. They'd only covered eight kilometers when the group stopped for a quick lunch. Hinata was biting her lip and Shino was visibly frowning. Shino ate quickly and walked away from the group, finding a nest of bees. That done, he sank into light meditation at the hive entrance. Social insects had better memories than solitary insects, and while the bees might not have been as advanced as his own hive, he could roughly communicate ideas.

"What's he doing?" Kankuro asked.

Hinata bit her lip. "S-sometimes insects r-remember things. Shino-kun i-is checking to see if they s-saw anybody." She bowed her head. "I-I am sorry about h-how slow we're going."

Kankuro frowned. "Hey, it's not a big deal, alright? That trail's two weeks old and it rained some since then, I don't know that I'd have gotten us this far."

Hinata flushed a little, but didn't look up. "Th-that is very kind of you, Kankuro-san."

"It's truth. And please stop calling me Kankuro-san, it's way too formal."

Shino returned about a half hour after he'd left, frowning. "The bees were only marginally helpful," he told the group. "They had some memory of a large group of people moving through the area two weeks ago, largely because a prime patch of flowers was destroyed at the same time. What is strange is that the destruction seems to have been arbitrary – the patch is several hundred yards from the trail we've been following."

Isago pushed himself to his feet. "Show us?" he asked. "Maybe we can figure out why this patch was out of the way."

Shino led the group to an open clearing, largely bare dirt with some scraggly grass and fallen leaves covering it. Had they not been told that plants had been flowering there two weeks previously, Temari and Kankuro weren't sure they'd have believed it. Isago knelt, and examined the surrounding ground.

"Someone used a doton jutsu here," he said softly. "It was a subtle one, but if you look, you can see the edges."

"Why would they be using a doton jutsu here, when the trail passes by?" Temari mused, hands on her hips.

Straightening up, Isago frowned. "Let's keep moving."

They managed to cover another ten kilometers that afternoon, but Shino and Hinata kept having more and more trouble following the signs. It was frustrating to the two, especially since the trail had been so clear at the beginning. When Isago called a halt, they were happy to take a break.

Later that evening, after they'd eaten, the group held a little war council around the fire.

"It's weird," Temari muttered, glaring at her fan as she worked it over. "This is supposed to be a big group, right? So why aren't they doing more damage?"

Kurenai nodded. "Usually bandits are very destructive, and it's not uncommon for an established group to regularly return to a set of villages for food. Sexual assault is also fairly common, but they seem to have left the villagers alone, and it didn't sound like they took a whole lot of food."

"And they're not hitting any one village more than once, according to the information we've received." Isago mused.

"Ah, th-there was something strange a-about the trail," Hinata began, deliberately not looking at anybody. "A-at first, it seemed like a r-regular trail. But then, a-as we followed it…i-it almost s-seemed like they got better at hiding it."

Shino frowned. "I noticed that as well, but thought I might have been mistaken. But with the doton jutsu in the clearing, I have to wonder if someone was waiting for them there, someone with more experience hiding a trail."

"Isago-san, when did the reports of bandit attacks first start to come in?" Kurenai asked.

"Four, maybe four and a half months ago. They've hit ten villages since then, anywhere between five and eighteen days apart."

"And they're supposed to be a group of fifteen or so, but I don't think they're taking enough food to feed themselves." Kankuro frowned, eyes focused on a joint in Karasu. "Call me paranoid, but something doesn't feel right here."

"I do not disagree, Kankuro-san," Shino said softly.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The team continued following the bandits for the next three days. For the next two days the trail became a little more difficult to follow, before suddenly becoming easier. This was worrisome, as it most likely meant that the bandits felt comfortable enough to stop hiding their trail. Midafternoon on the third day, they stumbled upon an abandoned camp. The team spread out, going over the site in exacting detail. Traces suggested that the camp had been abandoned only a few days previously, and they found the poorly-buried midden and latrine fairly quickly.

Meeting up by the badly-disguised firepit, the team compared notes. "It looks like there were about fifteen people here," Isago began. "I found at least fourteen different places where people had been sleeping."

Shino nodded. "Judging by the insects at the midden and latrine sites, I would agree with that assessment. It looks like they've only been gone four or five days."

"They left the site travelling north," Hinata told the group. "As far as I can tell, they continued moving almost due north for at least a few kilometers."

"At any rate, these aren't your run of the mill bandits. I found the remains of some shinobi-class traps out on the west side of the camp. One was still intact." Kurenai held out a hand, showing the group a high-quality shuriken. "I left that one alone so everyone could have a look at it, but I found this nearby."

"I found a spot where a trap had been taken down in a hurry. This was there." Kankuro held out an odd-looking kunai. It was the same length as Konoha's standard-issue kunai, but it was wider and heavier, looking almost like dagger. "It looks familiar, but it's not Suna-made, and I don't think it's Konohan either."

"Wait a minute, let me see that." Temari pulled the blade out of her brother's hands and held it up in front of her face. "Baki showed me a blade that looked just like this a little while ago. Said it was taken from an Ame-nin. See how it's wider and heavier? That gives it a little more stability in the rain."

"When'd this happen?" Kankuro demanded. "How'd I miss this?"

"About three weeks ago. He said he wanted me to have a better understanding of weaponry and how it's adapted to environment. I think he just wanted me to know what I can't blow away with a wind. Gaara was doing paperwork at the time, and I think you were playing with scorpions."

"Oh, yeah!" Kankuro grinned. "Got some really interesting venoms from them too."

Hinata perked up at this, interest noticeably piqued. Kurenai smiled slightly, before changing the subject. "How do we want to proceed next?"

The team decided to follow the trail leaving the camp for a kilometer or two before stopping for the night, and after examining the intact trap and making one last sweep to make sure they'd gotten all the information they could from the site they headed out. After dinner, the group sat around the campsite trading ideas. In the end, the only thing they had enough information to be definite about was that there was at least one missing-nin of chuunin or higher skill level in the group and at least one had gotten their gear from Ame, either directly or from an Ame-nin. They also changed up the watch rotation, putting two of the group on watch at any one time.

Shino and Isago took first watch, followed by Kurenai and Kankuro. Temari and Hinata took last watch, taking advantage of Hinata's hyperdeveloped eyesight to deal with the grey of the morning twilight. By the last half-hour, Temari was feeling relaxed enough to strike up a conversation with the younger girl.

"So, I saw you got interested when Kankuro mentioned venoms. You like poisons too, I take it?"

"Eh?" Hinata was a little confused by the non sequitur, but her natural good manners made her answer the question. "I-I have been learning how to make poisons and antidotes. Senpai says I am getting pretty good at it."

"Senpai?"

"A-A friend of sensei's. Anko-senpai was kind enough to teach us the basics."

"Anko…you mean that woman who proctored the second part of that Chuunin Exam?" Temari didn't detail which exam she meant, but Hinata understood.

"H-Hai."

"Better you than me. I thought she was a little strange. No offense meant, but she was a bit…out there."

Hinata had to fight the urge to giggle. "Anko-senpai is a little…enthusiastic, but she is a good teacher when she chooses to be."

"I'll take your word for it. Still, poisons? I didn't think many Hyuuga used those."

Hinata made a mental note to see how much information Suna had on the Hyuuga. She couldn't tell if Temari actually knew the statistics or was just fishing for information. She figured it was fairly harmless information – Clan Hyuuga was best known for dominating hand to hand combat, a style that rarely used poisons. A moment of deliberation later, Hinata decided to take a gamble. "What my father does not know will not hurt him."

Temari raised an eyebrow. That was interesting. She held a position of high enough status in Suna that she was at least passing familiar with the notables of the other hidden villages, especially their allies. Konoha was at the top of the list, and Clan Hyuuga was tagged as 'people to watch' on the list Baki had insisted his students look over before the attempted invasion. She knew Hinata was the daughter of the clan head, and her initial assessment of the girl had not been flattering. Now, however, she had a better idea of the true clan dynamics.

Later that day, Shino requested an early halt for lunch. He ate quickly and walked to the edge of the clearing, where he'd seen signs of a particularly large hive of bumblebees. When he reached the entrance, he leaned forward to examine the hive before shouting suddenly and throwing himself back.

Hinata was on her feet immediately, Byakugan activated and scanning. She couldn't see anything to indicate a trap, so she approached her teammate. "Shino-kun? What is it?"

Shino was glaring at the hive. "Insecticide," he snarled. "Lots of it. The entire hive is dead."

"What?" Kurenai came up behind her students. "Why would they kill a hive of bees?"

"Maybe they didn't want a beehive so close to camp?" Kankuro offered. The withering glance he got from his sister shut him up.

"We're at least six kilometers from their campsite, unless there's another one just ahead the bees wouldn't have been an issue." Kurenai said, shaking her head.

"Shino-san," Isago said slowly, "Your clansmen can communicate with insects other than your own, correct? You used that hive of bees earlier to confirm that the bandits had passed by them."

"That is correct." Shino said, voice clipped.

"And this is the first time you have seen an insecticide in use on this mission."

Shino nodded once, sharply.

"They might be trying to slow us down." Isago said grimly. "If they know an insect user is after them, they're going to want to remove any advantage."

"But how would they know there's an insect user in the group?" Temari asked, leaning forward.

"Could they be watching us?" Kurenai asked, turning to Hinata.

The girl was frowning. "I-I don't see how. Unless they can h-hide from the Byakugan, I-I should have seen them."

"What about a long-ranged spying technique?" Isago asked. "I know there are some that can get a few kilometer's distance."

Hinata flushed. "I-I have an eight kilometer range. U-Unless they are using s-something that has a l-longer range, then I sh-should have seen them."

Kankuro whistled, impressed. "Guess we don't have to worry about people sneaking up on us, then."

"But if they're not watching us, then how did they get that information?" Temari asked, bringing the conversation back on track.

"Sensei, I didn't use my insects anywhere near the village, and you didn't give them my last name." Shino had calmed down some, but his fists were still clenched at his sides. "The only way they'd know I was an insect-user would be if they recognized me as Aburame."

Nodding, Kurenai considered that. As much as she disliked the implications, there was another possibility, one she liked even less. "Unless they got the information from the missions scrolls." She turned to the Suna-nin. "Do you know if Hokage-sama sent the Kazekage our names?"

Isago shook his head. "We didn't know who we were meeting, just a team of one jounin and two chuunin."

"Gaara might have gotten that information," Temari said, thoughtfully. "I wouldn't put it past him to say nothing, if he thought our having that information might bias the mission before we even met up."

Kankuro snorted. "Probably did. That sounds just like him."

"It's probably best to assume that our names are on the mission scroll somewhere in Suna. So the information could have come from someone in either Konoha or Suna," Kurenai said, thinking out loud. "This is an A-ranked mission, so the list of people who could access the details is short, but it's not impossible to assume that at least one person on the list sold us out."

"But why?" Kankuro wanted to know. "This is supposed to be bandit cleanup with a handful of missing-nin, the only reason it's not a B is because of all the politics."

"U-unless they're not just bandits or missing-nin," Hinata whispered. The group turned to look at the girl, but she was staring off into the distance, eyes unseeing. "This could be a subsidized group, o-or even," she hesitated, but plowed on, "even a s-scouting t-team. S-someone could be l-looking to take a-advantage of Suna and Konoha's v-vulnerabilities."

Isago leaned forward, offended by the implied slight to his village. "What makes you think that?"

Shino gave him a withering look. "Isago-san, Suna has just undergone a transfer of power. There is a new Kage on the throne and he is particularly young for his position, of course people are going to push to see what they can get away with." His gaze turned back to his teammate. "Who, Hinata? Who has an interest?"

Hinata bit her lip, still gazing into the distance. "I d-don't think either of the daimyo would want to jeopardize the alliance. I-I'm pretty sure the generals feel the same, and I can't think of any powerful merchants with interests in this area. I a-also don't see any towns or villages c-contracting with a group of missing-nin, there's no motive."

Shino frowned. "That leaves the shinobi. And while I think we can probably discount Kiri and Kumo, if only because of geography, that still leaves a number of smaller villages and Iwa, not to mention independent groups and interests, including some within Konoha and Suna."

Temari frowned. "While I agree with your reasoning, do you really think this is that big? Are we sure this isn't some petty bandit boss who's hired a bunch of missing-nin and is looking to build a power base?"

Kurenai shrugged. "It is possible, of course." She hesitated a moment, then decided to lay some of her cards on the table. "Hokage-sama told us to make sure this mission was a success. She wants the alliance with Suna to hold."

"Trust me, Gaara's the same way," Kankuro said wryly.

"If this mission fails, it could damage relations between Konoha and Suna." Isago was standing now, pacing as he talked. "If it goes really badly, then it might be enough to sever them."

"Then we'll just have to make sure it doesn't." Temari retorted, hefting her fan onto her back.

"If they have information on Shino, then it's safe to assume they have information on the Konoha team, if not all of us." Kurenai said. "This is going to get messy."

"But now we have some advance warning," Isago pointed out. There was general nodding at this. Packing up swiftly, the group moved out.

They spent the next two days following the trail, finding more signs that pointed to their target's having some knowledge of the team. Two more hives of bees, a nest of paper wasps, and a large anthill were all found dead, and with each discovery Shino got more and more tense. Hinata very nearly walked into a trap that her Byakugan had missed, and was caught at the last minute by Kankuro, who had noticed something off about the ground in front of her and was fast with his chakra strings. They also found a couple more abandoned pieces of weaponry that Isago and Temari tentatively identified as being from Ame.

Midmorning on the third day after they found the first dead hive, Hinata suddenly called the team to a halt, eyes focused on something in the distance. "Chakra signatures up ahead," she said softly. "About eight kilometers out." She swallowed. "I c-count seventeen, and at least six are definitely shinobi."

"Can you guess at ranks?" Kurenai asked, staring in the same direction as her student.

Hinata shook her head. "Not at this distance."

"Right." Isago moved up to flank them. "We'll need to get closer while staying as hidden as possible. If we move fast, we can get there around noon, get some time to watch them."

The group moved out, more carefully now they had their prey in sight. As they advanced, they did their best to hide their chakra signatures. Hinata and Temari had the most trouble – Temari because she had the worst chakra control of the group, Hinata because she was keeping her Byakugan activated at the same time. At around 13.00, Shino called them to a halt again, this time a mere kilometer from the group. Hinata quietly identified eighteen chakra signatures, and using a combination of size and subtle signs indicating refinement of their chakra systems, tentatively ranked them.

What she found was troubling. She positively identified one jounin, three people who could be special jounin or high chuunin, two who were definitely chuunin-level, and three more who could be high genin or low chuunin. The other nine had varying levels of chakra, and she placed them at genin or pre-genin level, although she admitted that some could be non-shinobi who simply had more chakra than most civilians.

Swearing softly and creatively, Isago wrote everything Hinata reported down on a spare slip of paper with the date and their location, then rolled it up into a tight scroll and summoned a small desert lizard. He tied the scroll to the animal's back, instructing it to report to Baki with the information. That done, he ordered Temari and Kankuro to stay behind and watch out for any reinforcements while he joined the Konoha team in scouting up close.

Fanning out, they managed to get within fifty meters of the 'bandits' and settled in to watch. They counted nine wearing hitai-ate, obviously shinobi by the way they dressed and acted. The other nine looked to be soldiers. Almost all of them wore the same symbol somewhere on their clothing: the four vertical lines of Ame with a single horizontal slash through them. After observing the group for about an hour and a half, they worked their way back to the siblings.

The camp's layout and the enemy numbers were discussed in exacting detail, maps drawn in the dirt as the scouts tried to pass on everything about the site. The question then became what to do next. The original mission had called for elimination of the bandits, but that was before anybody realized just how many shinobi there were in the group.

On the one hand, they were outnumbered three to one. On the other, this was probably the best chance they were going to get to take out this group. They could try to send for backup, but the odds were good that reinforcements wouldn't make it in time. In the end, as the sun was starting to dip to the horizon, they decided to attack.

In the wee hours of the morning Shino's hive began to slip into the interloper's campsite, quietly draining the chakra of the sleepers. Shino, standing a dozen meters from the camp, winced as he sensed the liberal amounts of insecticide they'd used around their camp. He was going to lose a lot of insects to this mission – he'd just have to hope the insecticide-resistant ones he'd been encouraging to breed would be enough. As the grey of dawn began to lighten the sky, one of Kurenai's genjutu forced the sleepers into unconsciousness and Kankuro and Isago took out the sentries. That done, Hinata stood watch, Byakugan activated, while the rest of the team moved through the sleepers, killing.

The team met up at the firepit, communicating numbers in hand signals. Shino had killed two, Kankuro three. Temari had gotten two, while Kurenai and Isago had each downed four. That was fifteen deaths, including the two sentries. Shino frowned, then whirled at the sounds of a scuffle behind him. Three of the shinobi with the slashed Ame hitai-ate stood behind them, the one Hinata had identified as jounin-class with an arm pinning Temari's arms to her sides and a kunai at her throat. At his side, one of the special jounin had grabbed Hinata and was menacing her eyes with a set of claws. One of the chuunin, bleeding from an injury to the shoulder, stood behind them. Shino glanced down to see that three of the bodies had been moved, revealing holes. They'd been hiding under the bodies of the rest of the squadron.

The Ame rogues backed away, keeping a tight grip on their hostages. "Stay right there," the leader said, "And we won't gut these two pretty ladies right in front of you."

Kankuro growled under his breath and Shino's hive began to rumble, more of his insects pouring from under his sleeves and swirling around his body.

"This one's Hyuuga," the special jounin informed his superior, using the claws to force Hinata's head back on pain of losing her eyes. "Main house too, it looks like."

"She'd be worth a lot on the black market," the chuunin put in. "Her weight in silver easily, if not gold."

"And the Kazekage's sister's got a pretty price on her head too," the leader mused, forcing Temari to keep pace with him as he backed up. "So this mission wasn't a total–"

Three things happened in very quick succession. Kankuro pulled Kuroari out from its hiding place in the trees, scooping up the chuunin. Half Shino's hive boiled up around the leader, pounding into him like hail and sinking jaws into whatever exposed skin they could find. Kurenai's hands snapped into the last of the string of seals she'd been slowly forming, careful to keep Shino between her hands and the three rogues as she did so, snaring the special jounin holding her student hostage in a genjutsu.

The jounin flinched and winced at the insect's attacks, giving Temari all the opportunity she needed to break his grasp. Twisting under his arm she wrenched his wrist enough to make him release the kunai and, catching it, sunk it into his throat.

Hinata was not quite as lucky. The genjutsu bought her time to force her enemy's hand away from her face and wrench away, but the special jounin broke through the genjutsu quickly enough to reach out after her, tearing through her coat and leaving three deep slashes across her arm. Wincing, Hinata pulled away, spun under his hand, and slammed a palm into his chest, pumping more chakra into the strike than she'd have liked. Bloody spittle frothed from his mouth and he collapsed, heart shredded.

Shino was at his injured teammate's side in moments, gently pulling the remains of her sleeve away from the cuts. Kankuro shoved the special jounin onto his side, extricating the claws and examining them. "Poisoned," he informed the team at large.

"Do you know it?" Temari demanded.

Kankuro shook his head. "I know enough to know it's not an animal poison, but plant-derived toxins aren't my strong point."

Shino drew a kunai and cut the sleeve off of Hinata's coat, fashioning a tourniquet from strips of the material. That done, he pulled a vial from his pouch and pressed it into Hinata's hand, then stood and took off into the trees.

"Where does he think he's going?" Isago demanded from where he'd been securing the prisoner inside Kuroari, stripping the man of weapons and making sure he wasn't carrying a suicide pill.

The question went largely ignored. Kurenai and Temari were busy checking the bodies to make sure they were dead and Kankuro was bent over the slash on Hinata's arm. "No strange colors at the wound, the smell of the toxin's being largely covered by the blood…" he muttered, examining it carefully.

Hinata gently pushed him back. "W-watch out, Kankuro-san." Opening the vial with her teeth, she carefully poured the liquid over the injuries, hissing slightly in pain as it made contact. "It's a general disinfectant with a mild anti-toxin," she explained. "It should give me a little extra time and hold off infection."

Kankuro whistled, impressed. "Nice. That should help." He turned Hinata's arm, considering. "These don't look too deep, either. As long as we bandage them carefully I don't think you'll need stitches." Pulling some of the extra bandaging from Karasu loose, he folded it into a pad and gently pressed it to the wound.

Ten minutes later Shino returned, carrying both his pack and Hinata's. Kneeling by his teammate and Kankuro, he opened his pack, pulling out his medical kit. Between the two of them, Kankuro and Shino bound up Hinata's wound to their satisfaction, Shino ignoring Hinata's insistence that she would be fine without the two of them fussing over her, Kankuro following his example.

Once they'd finished, the trio returned to the group at large. Kurenai and Temari had begun searching the dead and the assorted packs while Isago, apparently having secured the captive to his satisfaction, had used a doton technique to open a trench near the firepit and was starting to haul the bodies to it. The boys joined him while Hinata was firmly relegated to sorting through the packs thanks to her injuries.

By the time the bodies were all disposed of in the trench and it closed back up again, it was approaching midday. Hinata and Temari had sorted out the packs, and the group gathered to go over the contents. Most of the weapons were sealed into two scrolls, and Kurenai and Isago each took one. Ame-gear or not, it was largely good metal that could be melted down and reforged. The clothes were discarded, as were most of the rations, going into another hole Isago created. The papers were examined carefully, but information was frustratingly scant. There was a map of the border regions between Konoha and Suna's respective territories, the villages that had already been attacked scratched off. There were a couple of requisition orders, a few personal letters, and a number of smaller scraps. The only thing that looked even remotely like a formal order was a note three lines long and signed with the slashed Ame symbol.

_Your orders are threefold: to observe and monitor shinobi and military activity, to cause trouble for Suna and Konoha's alliance, and to train the men under your command. You are to report in at the end of five months – progress reports are to be sent in every two weeks in the usual manner. Do not advertise your shinobi status._

Besides the obvious orders, it meant nothing to any of the group. The papers were shuffled together and placed in Isago's pack, the remnants of the bandit's packs thrown in on top of their clothes and food and buried. As the prisoner was captured on the Kazekage's orders and Suna was closer, the team set off for the desert village right after eating a quick lunch. They were somewhat burdened by the prisoner, who was still being kept inside Kuroari, but as they could move more or less in a direct line their pace was faster than it had been for several days.

The first indication that something was seriously wrong came the next morning. The rest of the team was up and getting ready to move out before Hinata, which was a little bit strange as the girl was usually up earlier than most. When Shino went to wake her, she was groggy and sluggish. She didn't want to eat anything either, and looked positively green when Kurenai offered her some food.

"Hinata, are you all right?" Kurenai asked.

"I-I'm fine, sensei." Hinata said softly.

Temari shot the other girl a slight smirk. "Feeling a little under the weather after that injury?" she asked. "Can't say I blame you, it looked pretty nasty."

Hinata nodded, and Temari turned to sling on her pack and fan. Picking up her own pack, Hinata stumbled a little. Shino frowned, watching her carefully, but said nothing.

About an hour after they'd left their campsite, it was blatantly obvious something was wrong. Hinata was paler than usual and having trouble keeping up with the pace the rest of the team had set. Shino dropped back to pace her silently.

His caution was validated when Hinata abruptly stumbled into a tree trunk and slid to her knees, shaking so much she was incapable of supporting her own weight.

"Hinata!" That caught everybody's attention. Nobody had ever heard Shino raise his voice.

Within moments the rest of the team had landed around them, Kankuro crouching on Hinata's other side. "Seizure," the puppeteer snarled, hands going to steady Hinata as she nearly fell over.

Shino had his fingers on Hinata's wrist. "Her heart rate's too high."

Kurenai hissed. That was not good, especially given Hinata's history of heart injuries. "How far are we from Suna?"

Temari bit her lip. "At least a day's fast march."

"Hinata's got some antidotes on her, she knows them better than I do but there might be something…" Shino sounded frustrated.

"I've got some things too." Kankuro added. "It's not going to be pretty, but we can probably keep her stable."

"Temari, once we reach the outer patrols I want you to go on ahead." Isago took charge of the situation. "Move fast and report directly to Kazekage-sama. Make sure he knows what's happened and make sure there's a medic-nin on standby for when we get in."

Shino slipped Hinata's pack off her shoulders and onto his own while the Suna jounin picked up the girl. Her seizure had stopped by this point and she laid limply while he arranged her across his back. The group moved out at speed, stopping briefly around noon for the shinobi to choke down some food. Shino and Kurenai tried to get Hinata to eat, but couldn't do more than make her drink some water.

"Nausea, fatigue, seizure, and an elevated heart rate," Shino recited, carefully watching his teammate to make sure she drank. "Kankuro-san is sure that the poison is plant-based, can you think of anything…"

Hinata shook her head wearily. "There's something, something about a bean, but I can't remember. My mind feels foggy."

Kankuro, meanwhile, had been sorting through his own stores of antidotes. When he failed to find what he wanted, he turned to the girl. "Hinata, do you have anything that'll slow your heart rate some? I've got some things but they're mainly toxic and I'd rather not use them and risk a reaction."

Hinata nodded slowly and Shino passed her her pack. Digging in it she found a small bottle. "This might work."

Kankuro looked the bottle over, sniffing the contents, then passed it back. "Take a little bit. Not much, just a tiny bit. Beans," he muttered to himself. "What about beans…"

The group moved out again shortly after Hinata had choked down her dose, the little Hyuuga being carried again by the Suna jounin. About an hour later she had another seizure, this one worse. Shino stayed as close to her as he could, hands clenched in his pockets in frustrated rage. Kankuro kept muttering under his breath, listing as many plant poisons as he knew and trying to figure out which ones fit Hinata's symptoms. As he worked his way through the lists he'd suggest names to Hinata, hoping she'd recognize one as the poison working its way through her body.

"What about the Nightshades?"

"P-possible, b-but my eyes are fine."

"Foxglove, Wolfsbane?"

"It w-would fit the h-heart rate and n-nausea, but n-not the seizures." Hinata closed her eyes, leaning her head against Isago's shoulder. "I-I'm so sure I know w-what this is," she said softly. "I-It's just out of r-reach, but I know this."

"Is there anything you can remember, anything at all?"

Hinata shook her head. "J-Just that it's a bean, and s-something about oil."

Late that afternoon, as the sun was beginning to approach the horizon, Temari shot ahead of the group. She'd recognized the outer limits of the village patrols and, using her chakra to boost her speed, tore into the village. Stopping only briefly to identify herself to the guards, she hurried to the Kazekage's offices. Gaara was in the middle of sorting through piles of paperwork when she got there.

"Temari, you're back." A slight, nearly invisible smile crossed the young Kage's face. "Where is the rest of your team?"

"I came on ahead," Temari told him, trying to keep her breathing as steady as possible. "Mission success, even if it was an absolute fiasco. We even got a prisoner for you. Hyuuga Hinata was poisoned during the attack on the so-called bandits. She was relatively okay when I left, but Isago requests a medic-nin on standby at the gates."

"Baki," Gaara's voice was clipped. "Have somebody sent to the hospital to retrieve a medic who specializes in poisons. Take two men with you and collect the prisoner when the team arrives. Temari, what do you mean by 'fiasco'? We got the report Isago sent in, but it was rather vague."

"The mission was to deal with a group of bandits, Gaara, not an eighteen-man battalion." That got everyone's attention. Baki stopped at the door, listening. "We were expecting ex-soldiers with the odd chuunin-level missing-nin. We found nine shinobi wearing slashed Ame hitai-ate and nine – I'm not sure what they were. They looked like ex-soldiers, but Hinata said their chakra systems were more developed than a civilian's."

"Baki." Gaara's usually calm voice had gone cold. "Get the medics to the gates and make sure there aren't any more injuries. I want the prisoner in interrogation as soon as possible." The jounin nodded and was gone. "Temari, I'll wait for a full debriefing until the rest of your team is here. In the meantime, you should go to the hospital and get checked out."

"Gaara, I'm fine, I wasn't injured."

"The dried blood on your neck tells me otherwise. Please, Temari, go."

Temari went.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hinata's memories of the rest of the day would always be a little fuzzy. She remembered being carried, trying to answer as many of Kankuro's questions as she could until she couldn't remember the answers. She hadn't even noticed when Temari sped off ahead of the group. Sometime after the sun went down she had vague impressions of a jumble of voices, and then she was being moved, picked up off Isago's back and laid down on something. Then she was moving again, whatever she'd been placed on swaying back and forth a little.

Hinata closed her eyes, and let everything go black.

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A/N:

I'm back! Exams are over, I'm done for the semester, and I'm officially on summer break. In practical terms, this means I have a little down time before I go back to school at the start of June for a research internship. I should be able to get most of the next chapter done before I go back, so hopefully I can pull myself back to my update-every-fortnight schedule.

Isago is canon. He's listed as one of Baki's assistants, and leads one of the rescue teams when Gaara is kidnapped in Shippuden. Similarly, the poison the Ame-nin used on Hinata is a legitimate poison I can easily see being found in the Naruto-verse. Hinata's right, it is from a bean, and there is oil involved. Brownie points to whoever is able to identify it.

This is regrettably unbetaed. **Pyrozia** has finals coming up and didn't have time to look it over. Therefore all errors are mine.

Next Chapter: Hospitality of the Desert


	10. Hospitality of the Desert

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Hospitality of the Desert

The minute the team wearily jogged through Suna's main gate, they were set upon by a group of med-nin and chuunin under Baki's command. Isago crouched, letting the medics take Hinata off his back, as he rattled off the mission number and its success. Shino paced his teammate as she was laid on a stretcher, watching anxiously as Hinata's eyes closed and she fell unconscious. At Isago's shoulder, Kurenai watched her students out of the corner of her eye as she listened to Isago's initial report, while Kankuro cracked Kuroari open so that the chuunin could take their prisoner.

"The Kazekage wants to see you both for an initial debrief," Baki told the two jounin. "I'll take you back to the tower." He turned to Kurenai. "Your subordinate will receive the best of care."

Red eyes met his single brown as Kurenai called out an order to her uninjured student. "Shino, go with Hinata. I want you to get yourself checked out while you're there. I expect a basic toxicology scan." The implied command was perfectly clear: _Guard your teammate. Make sure that any who try to pull something while Hinata is vulnerable are dealt with._

Shino nodded sharply, turning his gaze on the med-nin as though daring them to order him to stay behind. The medics, used to overprotective shinobi teammates, ignored him. "Kankuro-san," one called. "We'd like you to come with us, give us an initial report."

The puppeteer jogged over to the group, Kuroari returned to his back. As the medics moved out at a fast trot, he rattled off the course of events, ending with the list of symptoms Hinata had displayed. "She didn't want to eat, so nausea, and she was pretty fatigued. She had two seizures today and her heart rate was through the roof. I know whatever they gave her was a plant toxin, but she seemed to recognize it. Too fuzzy to name it, but she said it was a bean and there was something about oil."

The medics exchanged glances. "Sounds like Castor Bean," one muttered. "When did she start displaying symptoms?"

"About twenty hours after the injury," Shino told them. "She also treated the wound with a general anti-toxin almost immediately after she received it."

"That's Castor," the other medic nodded. "Delayed onset, nausea, fatigue, seizures, tachycardia…I'd bet she's got hypotension too."

"There may be a complication." Shino hesitated, then bulled along, his worry for his teammate overriding his usual reticence. "Hinata has a history of heart injury. About nine months ago she received an injury to the chest that severely damaged the valves and weakened the muscle, along with lacerating the pulmonary tissue nearby and partially collapsing her left lung."

The first medic swore colorfully and they picked up the pace, moving at a fast trot. Shino and Kankuro increased their speed to match, Kankuro mentally ticking back nine months. After some mental calculations he arrived at the Forest of Death, and the preliminary matches. A paint-covered eyebrow went up. He was impressed both by the damage dealt during the match and the fact that Hinata had not only managed to pull herself to her feet but speak coherently.

Once they reached the hospital Hinata was whisked into a private room and a nurse joined the two medics. The second rattled off figures and names of medicines while the other two efficiently removed the Hyuuga's jacket and shoes before bundling her into the bed. The nurse ran for medicines while the first medic took her blood pressure and the second unwrapped the dressing. Before long, Hinata had been injected with medications to slow her heart rate and been attached to an IV line carrying a basic fluid drip. The second medic carefully closed up the cuts from the weapon, cleaning out infections before they had a chance to become established and leaving new pink skin behind.

That done, Hinata was hooked to a heart monitor and her blood pressure checked again. Shino watched it all carefully from the corner of the room. Kankuro stood next to him, doing his best to keep out of the medic's way. He could hear a slight hum under the noise of the machines, but it took him a moment to place it as coming from the younger boy beside him.

"Hey," Kankuro asked, glancing sideways at Shino's impassive face, "are you okay?"

Shino did not turn his gaze away from his teammate. "Perfectly fine, Kankuro-san."

Kankuro desperately wanted to say "You don't look fine," but was saved from sticking his foot in his mouth by his sister's appearance in the doorway, sans fan.

"The nurses told me I'd find you guys here," Temari said, dodging a medic as she slipped inside. She moved along the wall until she was standing next to the other two.

"What're you still doing here?" Kankuro wanted to know, brow furrowing. "Shouldn't you be back at the house already, or with Gaara?"

Temari rolled her eyes. "Gaara insisted that I come over and get checked out when he saw this," she gestured to the fine line on her neck, where the missing-nin's kunai had scratched her. "The bloodwork only just got back in – the medics wanted to check for everything – and when I heard you were in I decided to just come over here rather than go back."

Kankuro nodded, glancing again at Shino, who had not visibly reacted to Temari's approach. Shortly thereafter, the swirl of activity around Hinata's bed ceased, and a medic-nin came over to the group standing near the wall. "Hyuuga-san has been stabilized," he informed them. "If you will follow me, I'll take you to be checked out."

None of them moved. "I would appreciate details about Hyuuga Hinata's state," Shino said coldly.

Seeing as he would have to answer if he wanted their cooperation, the medic shrugged. "Hyuuga-san was given a poison extracted from the Castor Bean. She has been given medication to lower her heart rate and is on an IV to keep her hydrated. There is a partial antidote to the poison, which we administered, but we were unable to use chakra to extract the poison, as there was such a small amount of it and it has already spread throughout the body. This long after exposure, the chakra expenditure would far outweigh the benefits of the procedure. At this point our best course of treatment is to ameliorate the effects and keep her as healthy as we can until the poison runs its course and is naturally removed from the body."

Shino nodded once, sharply, eyes locked on his teammate.

"Now if you will come with me," the medic continued, taking advantage of Shino's silence, "then I will be able to give you a quick examination."

Kankuro obediently shrugged his puppets onto his back, but Shino didn't move. Temari sighed. "I'll stay with her, Shino."

There was another moment of silence, then Shino turned to follow the medic out of the room. Temari shook her head slightly as she settled back against the wall, watching the younger girl on her hospital bed.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As Shino was allowing the medic to lead him from Hinata's room, Baki was letting Kurenai and Isago into the Kazekage's office. The genjutsu mistress made mental notes as she surveyed the room, surprised and a little pleased by its simplicity. She'd been to Suna before, when it was still reigned by the Yondaime Kazekage, and appreciated the changes that had been made. At that time the Kazekage sat on a dais behind a screen, and anyone who wished to speak with him was expected to kneel. The new Kage seemed to have dispensed with both dais and screen, and the room was dominated by a sturdy desk, piles of papers and scrolls covering most of it. Behind the desk sat Sabaku no Gaara, clad in the blue and white robes of the Kazekage, the hat hanging off the back of his chair.

Kurenai let Isago do most of the talking, adding her own thoughts and observations to the report only when he turned the thread of it over to her. Gaara didn't interrupt once, and when they were done he sat quietly for a minute before straightening up. "Suna thanks your team, Yuuhi-san." Kurenai bowed, and he went on. "I may have some more questions once we've interrogated the prisoner you brought in, but right now it's late and I believe you must be tired."

"Actually, Kazekage-sama, I was wondering if someone could give me directions to the Hospital. I'd like to check on my students." Kurenai said, making the next move in the shinobi's dance of manners. By letting them know what she had planned and requesting directions, Kurenai was tacitly telling the Suna-nin that she had no plans to go wandering off on her own or snoop around the village.

"I can do better, Yuuhi-san," the young Kazekage told her, standing. "I will accompany you, if you don't mind. I'd like to check on my brother and sister."

Kurenai bowed her head, recognizing the triple meaning. She'd get to her team the faster for being accompanied by the Kazekage, and she'd be less likely to be harassed by bitter Suna-nin. It would also give the Kazekage an opportunity to keep a personal eye on her, preventing her from seeing anything she shouldn't.

The walk over to the hospital was largely silent, broken only by the occasional person still out on the streets offering a salute to their Kage. The senior shinobi seemed to look at the child-leader with true respect, although in the younger shinobi and civilians the respect was heavily tempered by fear. When they arrived at the Hospital the receptionist was all solicitousness, directing them to Hinata's room.

Hinata laid unconscious on the bed, Shino sitting next to her, Temari and Kankuro leaning up against the wall on the opposite side of the bed. At the entrance of the Kazekage, Temari and Kankuro straightened up, while Shino stood and bowed briefly.

"Shino?" Kurenai asked, letting the rest of the question remain nonverbal.

The boy pushed his glasses up his nose, a maneuver that Kurenai recognized as Shino stalling for time while he got his thoughts in order. "Hinata was poisoned by the Castor Bean," he told her. "At the moment the medics say that all they can do is keep her stable until it works its way out of her system."

Kurenai nodded. The answer might not have been what she wanted, but it was not unexpected. "And you?"

"The toxicology report came back negative, and I am uninjured." When Kurenai kept looking at him, he went on. "I lost a significant portion of my hive, and it will probably take me about seventy-two hours to regain the numbers."

Relaxing a little now that she knew her students were out of danger, Kurenai sat in the other chair at Hinata's bedside. The girl frowned a little in her sleep and the older woman gently brushed her hair out of her face. Hinata's forehead slowly smoothed at the gentle touch, the girl sinking deeper into sleep.

"Yuuhi-san."

Her name had Kurenai glancing up at the Kazekage and his siblings, standing on the other side of the room. All three were watching the interaction around the bed.

"If you would be willing to write out your report tonight," Gaara said, "I can arrange for a messenger hawk to take a copy to Konoha tomorrow morning. The medics should be able to provide you with paper and a pen."

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama." Both Kurenai and Shino stood and bowed slightly as the Kazekage left the room, trailed by his siblings. About half an hour later, one of the medics knocked on the door and came in, carrying a small lap desk, a few sheets of paper, and a pen. Kurenai thanked him and began to write out her initial report. That done, she made another copy, using a form of shorthand designed to keep the message as short as possible while still including the necessary information, so as to weigh down the hawk as little as possible. She finally re-wrote it a third time, encoding it using the cipher she'd learned shortly before the mission, one designed for communication between Suna and Konoha.

As she worked, Shino meditated in the corner, performing what Kiba had once jokingly referred to as 'hive maintenance'. His reserves had been more compromised by the mission than he liked. The queens and the small cadre of workers and drones set aside to maintain and increase his colony's numbers were fine, but he'd lost a little more than a third of the rest, of his battle-ready insects.

That was unacceptable.

Shino dove into himself, more closely examining his hive. The youngest of his queens, tucked in between his shoulder blades and ribcage, was easily stimulated to increase the amount of eggs she laid, and a number of his surviving battle workers were detailed to help the nursery workers feed the larvae. The older queen, the daughter of his original queen, was another story. Tucked between his pancreas and liver, she was slower to respond, and her egg output was far below that of her younger counterpart. Shino knew that within the next month or two he'd have to make sure a queen cell was made and the arrangements put in place for a new queen – at about seven years old, the queen was reaching the end of her lifespan.

Shino came out of his meditative state to find a tray of food next to him, along with a piece of paper covered in his sensei's shorthand. The genjutsu mistress was next to Hinata, eating from another tray. "You need to eat," she told him. "And I would appreciate it if you would deal with that." She gestured to the paper.

Shino wordlessly picked up the paper and called out some of his hive, destroying it, before turning his attention to his meal. His bugs picked up no poisons, so he let himself eat, figuring that Suna wouldn't be so stupid as to poison another village's shinobi within the hospital.

The next morning, Baki stopped by the hospital room assigned to the Hyuuga girl to collect the Konoha jounin's report to be sent on to her village. Kurenai met him at the door.

"Here you are, Baki-san," she said, handing him two scrolls. "This," she indicated the smaller, "is the report to go to Konoha. The other is a copy for Suna's records."

Baki blinked. "Thank you, Yuuhi-san. May I enquire as to the state of your student?"

Kurenai smiled and stepped back, letting Baki have an uninterrupted view of the bed. Hinata was sitting up, deep in conversation with her teammate, dark heads bent over a piece of paper. "Hinata woke up just about an hour ago. They're putting their own report together now."

Baki nodded. "I'll stop by the aerie and send this on my way to the interrogation offices," he told Kurenai. "Depending on what information the prisoner has given us, the Kazekage may require the three of you for a more thorough debrief sometime this afternoon."

He was as good as his word, sending the message later that morning (after, of course, decryption had taken a quick look to make sure Kurenai had not lied) and walking down into the bowels of the interrogation complex. Not entirely sure what to make of the report he got, Baki brought the officer who'd been working the man over to Gaara's office.

Twenty minutes later, a genin runner was leaving the Kazekage's offices, making a beeline for the Hospital.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As they paced along Suna's streets, Hinata and Shino couldn't help looking around at the village. It was their first time within another shinobi village, and they found the similarities to Konoha intriguing. While it would make a certain amount of sense for them to be similar, bar a few major differences the street they were on, the fastest route between the Hospital and the Kage's offices, could have been a desert version of its Konohan counterpart.

There were open stores, a few vendors with canopies braving the desert sun, a number of jounin with genin students passing by. They got a few sideways glances, largely thanks to the fact that their clothing was obviously not desert attire, but in general once the onlookers saw the Konoha plate their eyes slid away. They made it to Gaara's office unmolested, although a handful of the shinobi gave the team truly venomous looks, setting Kurenai on edge.

Despite the alliance, firmly backed by a young and incredibly powerful Kage, Konoha was not necessarily welcome in the heart of the desert.

Upon entering the Kazekage's office, the Konoha team found themselves meeting not only with the Kage, his siblings, Baki, and Isago, but a woman wearing the generic jounin uniform, with the hooded cloak ubiquitous to Suna-nin. The one personalization of her clothing was a red-brown scarf she wore wrapped around her hips as a belt. Baki introduced her as "Chinatsu, the shinobi working on the Ame rogue you brought back" before naming the Konoha-nin for her.

"Yuuhi-san, Isago-san, would you please repeat the report you gave me yesterday?" Gaara asked, shuffling through papers to locate sheets of paper, presumably the written reports. He looked up in slight surprise when Hinata stepped around Kurenai to hand in the report she and Shino had spent the morning working on. Scanning it briefly, he gave the Konoha chuunin a soft 'thank you'.

Isago and Kurenai repeated the verbal report they'd given the night before, expanding on it and turning to their subordinates for details when necessary. When they'd finished, Gaara turned his gaze on Chinatsu, who looked up at the ceiling as she began her report.

"Kaito, that's his name, by the way, is a stubborn man. He has to this point refused to divulge the finer details of his orders, but thus far we've been concentrating on determining his loyalties." She dropped her head until she was looking at Gaara. "He's not loyal to Sanshouo no Hanzo, but he either can't or won't give us much in the way of details. At the moment I'm guessing won't, but it will take a little more time before we can determine the exact answer."

"What did he tell you?" Baki asked.

Chinatsu shrugged. "He told us he served a god, and that his orders were passed on by an angel with great white wings."

Kankuro made a displeased noise in the back of his throat. "That makes no sense," he muttered.

"Ignoring for the moment how much sense it makes, Kankuro-san, it is what Kaito believes. As far as he knows, he is telling the truth when he says he is on a mission given to him by God." Chinatsu shrugged. "It's not as uncommon a scenario as you might think, but fanaticism makes him difficult to talk to. Now that I've got some more background there are a couple more avenues I can pursue."

"Good." Gaara dismissed her. "Make a second copy of your reports for Konoha as well."

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama." Kurenai said softly as Chinatsu disappeared through the doorway.

"This impacts Konoha as well as Suna, Yuuhi-san. I cannot withhold that kind of information."

Kurenai decided that the more she saw of the Kazekage Gaara, the more she was impressed by him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

In Konoha, a messenger hawk arrived. Recognizing it as a Sunan bird, one of the shinobi on duty at the aerie removed the messages and passed them on to be decoded. As primary reports for a diplomatically important mission, they were placed toward the top of the pile of reports going to Tsunade's desk.

After the 'desk shinobi' who had decoded and transcribed the reports came off shift, they made their way to a quiet restaurant at the edge of the civilian sector. Passing through the kitchen to the stockroom, they made their way down a hidden flight of stairs and through a maze of halls. Finally, they knocked on a door and were bidden to enter, dropping to one knee once they'd closed the door behind them.

"You ordered me to inform you when the report for the joint Suna/Konoha mission came in, Danzo-sama."

"Report."

The Root-nin, eyes on the ground, recited Kurenai's report and the addendum Baki had attached word for word. There was a moment of silence when they finished.

Danzo sat in his chair, considering. While Yuuhi's report of a battalion of trained men on a mission to disrupt the alliance between Konoha and Suna was bad enough, the report the Suna-nin had added was even more troubling. The survivor claimed to serve a god…Danzo clenched his unbandaged fist, remembering the confrontation with the Ame rebel years before.

The odds of two men with the power to be compared to a god rising out of Ame were vanishingly slim.

Coming to a decision, Danzo pushed himself out of his chair and reached for his walking stick. "Take a message to Homura-san and Koharu-san, asking if they'd be willing to meet with me in forty minute's time. Tell them it concerns the alliance with Suna." Ignoring his soldier's 'Hai', Danzo made his way back to his official office, mind spinning out possibilities.

As little as he might have liked Tsunade's desire to forge alliances, a move that weakened the village, he liked the idea of a third party interfering in Konoha's affairs even less.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

After the meeting in the Kazekage's office, Temari escorted the team to a suite of rooms in a building not far away. "We keep this building prepped for VIPs," the Suna kunoichi told them. "Visiting shinobi on diplomatic missions, the daimyo's officials, you know. It's been largely vacant since the Yondaime took over, but we figured it was about time we started using it again."

The rooms were on the second floor of the building, a suite of two bedrooms opening onto a central living room with a small kitchen and bathroom, both scrupulously clean.

"Kankuro or I'll come take you for dinner at around 18.00. You can go walk around the general market down the block, but I'd not recommend it. At least, not alone."

Taking Temari's advice, the Konoha-nin remained in their suite for the rest of the day, resting up after the mission. When Kankuro arrived late in the afternoon, he brought a scroll with him.

"The hawk we sent to Konoha brought this back with him." He passed it over to Kurenai, who opened and scanned it. Her lips thinned in a way that caught her student's attention.

"Sensei?" Hinata asked.

"I have been recalled," Kurenai said to nobody in particular. "I'm wanted in Konoha to give my report in person, and I need to leave now. You two," she glanced at her students, "are to stay here for another two days, until Hinata is well enough to travel, and you are to bring back a scroll with you. Kazekage-sama apparently has something to send to Tsunade-sama."

"Would you like us to get you food while you pack?" Shino asked.

"Thank you, Shino."

Kankuro led the Konoha-nin to the market down the street and accompanied them while they made their purchases, buying food that could be eaten while on the move and would travel well. He did have to raise his eyebrows when Shino purchased more jerky than anyone could possibly want to eat, though.

Nor was he the only one confused. "Shino-kun, what-?"

"Our collective cousins may appreciate it," Shino said. "And I would appreciate a way to distract them sometimes."

Kankuro blinked. He hadn't known Hinata and Shino were related, nor that either the Hyuuga or Aburame might enjoy copious amounts of jerky. But Hinata seemed to accept the explanation, so he filed that snippet of information away in the back of his mind for later examination.

Kurenai was packed by the time the little group returned to the suite. Accepting the rations her students handed her, she slipped them into her bag as the group left again, headed for Suna's gates. Stopping just at the entrance, she smiled at Shino and Hinata. "I know you can handle yourselves, but I'm still going to say travel carefully, and I'll see you back in Konoha in five days or so." With a gentle squeeze of Hinata's shoulder and a light touch to Shino's, she was gone, trotting off into the cool of the evening.

Kankuro cocked his head to the side as he observed the two Konoha-nin, before shifting his weight to gain their attention. "You guys still hungry?"

Leading them back into the market, Kankuro brought them to a stall that did takeout. As the Konoha-nin looked at their options, he purchased enough food for himself and his siblings, then insisted on the other two's joining them for dinner. Exchanging slight looks of surprise, Shino and Hinata followed him back to a larger house in what looked like one of the nicer sectors of town. Temari and Gaara were already there, and the group settled in the dining room to eat.

The conversation was, while a little bit awkward, surprisingly not as stilted as it might have been. Hinata had been trained in the courtly art of keeping conversation going by an aunt, back when she was still a small child who might one day be displaced in favor of a younger brother and best suited for an alliance marriage. (That it was also a good way to get information from a target was a bonus.) She slowly drew Kankuro into a discussion of tactics and poisons with relative ease while Temari and Shino listened, throwing in their occasional two cents. Before long, Hinata barely had to make an effort as the topic wandered from tactics and poisons to locations of oases and on again to the anatomy of the border region between Kaze no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Gaara sat quietly, preferring to watch and let the conversation wash over him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hinata looked up from her morning tea at the sound of a knock at the door. Opening it, she found herself face-to-face with Temari, battle-fan and all. "Gaara said he'd have the scroll for you tomorrow morning," she said. "In the meantime, if you need to restock on anything before you go back, I'll escort you."

It took Shino and Hinata perhaps half an hour to restock on rations and replace the first-aid equipment they'd used. Temari was chattier than her brother, pointing out good places to eat, shops that sold better-quality weaponry, and other locations of note. As they walked, they couldn't help but notice the curious glances of the locals and the wary looks of some of the shinobi as they recognized Hinata's eyes or caught sight of one of Shino's bugs.

Temari grimaced as a jounin crossed the street to avoid getting near them. "Sorry about that," she muttered to her companions. "Konoha shinobi have made something of an impression on some of our older nin."

"As Suna shinobi have on ours." Shino replied softly.

Temari nodded once, and the walk back to the apartment was finished in silence. That evening, she collected them again for dinner then led them back to her family's house. Gaara was absent, but Kankuro wandered in shortly after they did, muttering about workaholic Kazekages. Dinner passed in easy conversation, the teens becoming more comfortable with each other as they got to know each other better.

"Next time I get sent to Konoha, we're doing this again." Temari said as she shoved her plate out of the way. "You two," she pointed at Hinata and Shino, "are going to have to show me the place properly."

"Of course," Hinata agreed, bowing her head.

"It's the least we could do in return for your hospitality." Shino added.

Temari batted that thought aside with a hand. "I'm glad we got the chance to work together. The only Konoha-nin I've worked with so far have been combat specialists and strategists."

"And the next time you're out our way, come look us up," Kankuro added, scooping up the last of his meal. "S'always fun t'talk to somebody who knows different bits of the craft." He nodded at Hinata, then ducked as Temari tried to swat him for talking with his mouth full.

"Only so long as you do the same." Shino said, a slight smile appearing from behind his collar.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gaara passed a scroll across his desk to the two Konohan trackers shortly after dawn. "Thank you once again for your work." He hesitated, then went on. "I hope we may meet again in the future." There. That was nicely neutral, just in case.

Shino and Hinata bowed slightly. "It would be a pleasure, Kazekage-sama." The Hyuuga said, smiling softly.

Gaara nodded once. "Travel well." With another bow, the two left the room quietly and were gone.

Baki slipped into the room quietly, a number of scrolls tucked under his arm. Observing his youngest student for a moment, he found a slight smile turning up the corner of his mouth, and turned to put the scrolls down to hide it. It was a very interesting change, to see Gaara attempting to reach out to people, and not at all unwelcome.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade looked at the two chuunin from over the top of the scroll they'd delivered. "Well done, the pair of you." Setting the paper down, she leaned back in her chair. "The Kazekage was impressed. If the hunter-nin didn't have first claim, I'd assign you both to diplomatic missions." The Hokage turned to look at an apparently empty corner. "Thoughts?"

Jakkaru stepped into the light as if from nowhere. "They did pretty well. There were a number of mistakes we'll need to correct, and they could use more experience in ambushes, but nothing so drastic that we can't fix it."

"Good. Jakkaru, I'll expect the usual progress report at the end of next month. Hinata, Shino, dismissed."

All three bowed before leaving the office – Hinata and Shino through the door, Jakkaru slipping back into the shadows. That evening, both the chuunin found notes waiting for them in their rooms: _Training ground 43, 6.30. Be prepared to work_.

* * *

A/N: I'm finally back. After two and a half weeks fighting virii for possession of my computer, another week recovering and dealing with the fallout from my hacked e-mail account, crazy work hours and illness in the family, I post again!

Okay, I probably just jinxed myself. But we have another chapter, even if this one did not seem to want to be written.

Kudos points to **sasori into the nothing**, **pharix**, and **Oh My Fudge** for correctly guessing the poison Hinata was hit with: Castor bean. The seeds contain a compound called ricin, as little as 1.8 milligrams of which are enough to kill a human if injected or inhaled. It damages the body's ability to make proteins, causing what amounts to death by shock as the entire body starts shutting down. If you want the gory details, Wikipedia's not a bad source.

I'm afraid updates are going to become even more sporadic. I'm going to be traveling most of the next month, my grandmother was recently hospitalized, and as if that's not enough I'll be temporarily transplanting to the Iberian peninsula in September. Until things settle down (which might be mid-September, probably a little bit later) I'm not going to have much time to write.

Next chapter: Double-Ended Candle.


	11. Double Ended Candle

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Double-Ended Candle

If Hinata and Shino had hoped for a little time off when they got back from Suna, they were doomed to disappointment. Jakkaru summoned them daily to the outer training grounds, where he began to put them through long, jam-packed schedules, with the occasional help of other members of the hunter-nin. The days were spent tracking some of the active hunter-nin, sparring, and doing conditioning, with verbal drills every time they took a quick break. Draw a map with outposts, list the gear you would take for a mission in Nami no Kuni and compare with that for a mission in Tsuchi no Kuni, demonstrate a basic knowledge of protocol, both shinobi and court... the list went on and on. The two trainees were worked for fourteen, sometimes sixteen hours every day, returning home only to clean up, eat quickly, and catch a little sleep.

The occasional breaks they'd depended on earlier in their training were gone. There were no good chances to rest, no opportunities to catch more than six, perhaps seven hours of sleep in a night after a day spent on the move. Days began to blur into each other as the hunter-nin's regime consumed their time.

Shino saw his father for perhaps an hour during the week, spread out into five- and ten-minute intervals. Hinata saw her sister for perhaps a half-hour, mostly when Hanabi was already half-asleep, and her father not at all.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Neji was worried about his cousin. It was an unusual feeling for him, and a short year ago he'd have glared poison at anyone who told him he'd one day care about Hinata's well-being, but there it was. Hinata had been spending almost all of her time out of the clan compound for at least the past two months. He couldn't blame her, as he'd often done the same, but lately it seemed that the only time she came back was to eat and sleep. Little things, the chores Hinata did almost automatically, like tending her mother's garden or adding to the supply of healing ointments and salves in the stillroom, began to go undone.

Then came the day when he had to fight down a flinch at seeing Hinata. He'd not seen her in almost a week, and she looked terrible. Her already pale skin was an unhealthy pasty color, her eyes were sunken from tiredness, and she was moving a little too slowly to be normal. For one irrational moment he wondered if something had gone wrong on her team, but then her teammate met her at the gates to the compound and he had to dismiss the idea. Whatever was affecting Hinata was clearly also affecting the Aburame – there were lines of fatigue on his face and his shoulders were slumped in a way that screamed tiredness to a Hyuuga.

Neji would have been willing to ascribe it to mission-related issues or a change in the training regime, but that didn't add up either. He knew Team Kurenai was taking fewer missions than normal because he'd heard one of the mission office workers comment on the fact. And this had been going on too long to blame on adjusting to a new training regime.

He might have been willing to leave it alone, to trust that his little cousin could handle herself, except for one crucial detail: Hiashi-sama was starting to notice.

After some internal debate, Neji came to a conclusion. He'd sworn to himself that he was going to protect Hinata properly, now that he'd been given a second chance, and he figured that that meant more than dealing with would-be assassins.

The next time Neji saw Hinata, it was late evening a couple of days after he'd come to his decision. She'd come in long after dinner was cleared away, and he caught her on her way to the kitchen, presumably to find something to eat. "Hinata-sama."

She all but jumped, and Neji felt incredibly awkward. "O-oh, Neji-niisan." She sounded exhausted.

"Hinata-sama, if you will pardon my asking, is everything all right?"

A stunned look crossed Hinata's face, and Neji began to regret asking the question as she stared at him silently. Then her face cleared and she smiled at him. "E-everything's fine, Niisan. Why wouldn't it be?"

For some reason this obvious lie irritated Neji. "Hinata-sama, it's not fine. You're exhausted, you've been tired for months and something's wearing you down. Please, Hinata-sama, what's going on?"

Hinata was shaking her head. "Neji-niisan, it's fine. Yes, I'm a little tired but I'll be alright. It's nothing to worry about."

Neji hesitated. He hated to do this, but if it would impress upon her the seriousness of the situation… "Hiashi-sama has started to notice."

Whatever the reaction Neji had been expecting, it was not the one he got. Hinata cursed softly and colorfully, using vocabulary she had definitely not picked up from the Hyuuga as she rubbed her temples with her hand.

"Niisan, please don't say anything to Father," she said, hand still over her eyes. "It – it'll be alright. I knew what I was getting into."

"Which is what, Hinata-sama?" Neji was frustrated. Getting anything useful from Hinata was becoming difficult.

His cousin shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Niisan." She smiled gently at him, before turning to walk away. "Goodnight."

Neji, however, would not be foiled so easily. When his team reported to the Hokage a week later, he asked to speak with the Godaime privately. Hands in front of her mouth to disguise her smile, Tsunade agreed.

"Hokage-sama, I am…concerned…about Hinata-sama."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Oh? May I ask why?"

"She is…exhausted." This was harder than Neji had thought. "She looks like she is going to collapse where she stands. I also know that this is probably not due to problems within her team, as Shino-san appears to be in much the same state. I confronted her on the issue, but she refused to speak about it."

Tsunade watched the boy for a minute, then sat back with a sigh. "Aburame Shibi and Inuzuka Tsume came to me separately four days ago with the same concerns. You are the first Hyuuga to do so."

Neji wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he stayed silent.

"In answer to your question, whatever is going on with Hinata and Shino is out of your hands. It's good of you to be concerned, but don't pester them about it, alright? I have no doubt that if Hinata were able to tell you she would have already."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The grueling regimen continued for Hinata and Shino. They began to let things slip in their exhaustion, make stupid mistakes they'd normally have caught. Even their normally calm tempers began to fray, although they were careful not to snap at each other. More meals were skipped, as by the time their training was complete for the day they were too tired to do more than fall asleep, and both began to shed weight.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tenten followed behind Neji as Team Gai made their way to the Mission Office, hoping to request a mission. Gai had been sent off on a jounin-level solo earlier in the week, but there were probably some more interesting D-ranks lying around, or maybe even a low C that they could take.

Distracting Lee from a loud discourse on taijutsu with a leading question about adding close-quarters weaponry to his regime, Tenten breathed a slight sigh of relief when the volume dropped, the taijutsu specialist falling quiet as he considered the advantages of such an action. She hoped he took her up on her suggestion – it'd be a nice change to have someone to practice on with close-quarters weapons. Her boys were good for target practice or hand-to-hand, but she wanted to diversify a bit. She was about to see if she could get Neji in on it as well when someone beat her to the Hyuuga prodigy.

"Oi, Hyuuga!"

A pair of nearly-identical Inuzuka approached the group, accompanied by their dogs and followed, oddly enough, by a bevy of Academy students. The two adult dogs ranged alongside them, flanking the group.

"Can I help you with something, Inuzuka-san?" Neji's voice was distant, but Tenten knew him well enough to tell that he'd been startled. There was no reason for him to be accosted by an Inuzuka.

"Yeah, you can." One of the Inuzuka said. "What's up with Hina-chan?"

"Hina-chan?"

"Hinata," the other Inuzuka snarled, obviously irritated by Neji's lack of comprehension.

_Hinata?_ Tenten wondered. Now she thought about it, she'd not seen the girl in weeks, even when she'd stopped by the Hyuuga compound to let Neji know that Gai had been called away on his most recent mission.

"Hinata-sama has assured me that she is doing well." Neji said, voice cold.

The Inuzuka didn't take kindly to the tone, but anything the adults might have said was interrupted by the students. "Then why hasn't she come t'see us?" "I saw Hina-neesan last week, an' she looked tired!" "Did she get sent on a mission?"

The first Inuzuka turned a quelling look on the kids, while the second stepped in close to Neji, a soft snarl escaping his throat. "That's bull, Hyuuga, and you know it. Somethin's wrong, you can smell it on Hina-chan and Shino. Now we know better than to try to get information out of them if they're not gonna tell us, but we figured you might know something. You Hyuuga pride yourself on your "all-seein' eyes", after all. Unless," and here the man's expression turned truly feral, "the Hyuuga are the problem?"

Neji bristled, and Tenten had to fight the urge to reach for a scroll. If it came down to a fight, she wanted more than two-dozen kunai, a dozen shuriken, and three dozen senbon to hand. "Hinata-sama's condition has been noted, but she has refused to answer inquiries on her health with more than misdirection." Neji snapped.

"An' your eyes aren't picking up anything else?" The Inuzuka's tone was just short of scathing.

"To my frustration, no." Neji's voice could have frozen flame.

"Hmm." Something about Neji's answer convinced the Inuzuka to leave the conversation alone, at least for the moment, and he turned back to his charges. "C'mon kids. Time we were gone."

The two adults and their dogs shepherded the kids down the road and out of sight.

"What was that about?" Tenten turned to Neji, hands on her hips.

"An excellent question, my eternal rival! Such behavior is quite unusual!"

Lips pressed together in a tight line, Neji refused to answer.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ryouken glanced over the progress report Jakkaru had left on his desk, going through the training regime and his second-in-command's analysis of the two trainees. Nodding to himself, he picked up a pen and wrote his instructions at the bottom. _Keep pushing them._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shino slipped quietly into the house, shedding his outer coat and sandals. Pulling the coat to eye level, he examined the rents in the sleeve. Fukurou had joined their training session midway through the day, and she was good at coming just a little too close with a weapon. Deciding that he could probably repair the worst of the damage, Shino crossed the living room and moved deeper into the house, bypassing the kitchen. He was too tired to be hungry.

"Shino."

Shino cursed in his head as he twitched minutely, the Aburame equivalent of a full-bodied flinch. Hinata had mentioned her confrontation with her cousin, and he'd been hoping to avoid his own familial scolding. Straightening up, he turned to face his parent. "Father."

Shibi examined his son for a long, slow minute before shaking his head slightly. "Let me see your coat," he said, the unspoken _I hope you know what you're doing_ falling heavily between them.

Passing the bundled-up garment over, Shino stood quietly as his father examined the sleeve, then rolled it back up into a bundle. "I will fix this. You go get some sleep."

Shino blinked, confused. A slight smile turned up the corner of Shibi's mouth. "Go to bed, Shino."

Shino went.

Shibi allowed his shoulders to fall slightly as he watched his only child walk away. He had an inkling of what Shino was doing, and he could understand the rationale behind it. That did not, however, mean he had to like it.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

More drills with traps, tracking, and some basic anatomy and body disposal. An entire afternoon was spent learning how to summon local carrion-eaters to accelerate decomposition. (Shino got the insects down without any trouble, but had some difficulty with the birds. Hinata proved to be competent with both after a couple of hour's hard work.) Tracking drills were added and routines altered slightly – not only were Shino and Hinata tracking their superiors through the forests, but through the village itself, which proved to be far harder.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hyuuga Hiashi was not happy with the current state of affairs in his household. While Hinata might not have been the heir he wanted, he could recognize that his firstborn was nonetheless capable at managing an estate as well as any noblewoman. Hinata had quietly taken on many of the household duties after the death of her mother years before, and whatever was causing her prolonged absence meant that things were not being done.

Hiashi did not think he was an unreasonable man. He recognized that, as a chuunin, Hinata would have more missions out of the village and there would be times when she was not available. When that happened, she usually arranged for another clan member, sometimes several, to take over her chores for a time. That had not happened. For that matter, she was not being sent on missions, insofar as he could tell.

At any rate, Hinata was definitely returning to her room at night. After the kidnapping attempt when she was three, Hiashi had gotten into the habit of checking on his daughter, and later, daughters, every night with his Byakugan. To a Hyuuga of his caliber, identifying a person by their chakra signature was nearly as good as identifying them by sight, and he'd seen Hinata's signature every night.

Hiashi frowned. Something was keeping his eldest out at all hours, and he did not know what it was. He found himself missing Hinata's little gestures, like the tea she'd bring him during the afternoon when he'd spent all day dealing with the massive amounts of paperwork needed to run a clan as large as the Hyuuga. His frown deepened. If he knew what was keeping Hinata so busy that she'd neglect her preexisting duties, then he might be more inclined to accept the lapse, but Hinata was refusing to volunteer the information.

Well, he thought, turning to look out over the courtyard, if Hinata was reluctant to divulge, then he'd just have to try other sources.

Neji and Hanabi were running through Jyuuken kata together in the stone-flagged courtyard, the chuunin leading his smaller cousin through the forms. As they brought the kata to its close, Hiashi stepped down into the courtyard. "Neji."

The boy in question turned to face him, Hanabi trotting to the elevated walkway, taking the chance to grab a drink of water. "Hai, Hiashi-sama?"

"Have you spoken to Hinata recently?"

Neji shook his head. "Not within the past two weeks or so."

"Hm. And you have heard nothing from her about her…current schedule?"

"No, Hiashi-sama."

"Father, could Nee-san be training for promotion?" Hanabi piped up. "Maybe she's trying to get better missions."

Hiashi considered that a moment. "That is possible." If it was, though, surely Hinata was intelligent enough to realize that all she was accomplishing was her own exhaustion? Something still didn't fit. "Neji."

"Hai, Hiashi-sama?"

"The next time you see Hinata, tell her I wish to speak with her."

The boy bowed. "It may be a while before I see her next, Hiashi-sama. My team leaves on a mission later this week."

"I do not expect you to seek her out, Neji. The current state of affairs has been going on for some weeks now. At this stage, I do not think that a few days more or less will make that much of a difference."

"Hai, Hiashi-sama."

The older man turned away, and, taking the dismissal for what it was, Neji and Hanabi went back to their practice.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jakkaru glanced up as another weight settled onto the branch next to him. "Ah, Mitarashi-san. Thank you for responding so promptly."

Anko gave him a sideways glance, but her attention was distracted by the two figures in the clearing below them, deeply engrossed in meditation. "I happen to like the kids, Jakkaru-san. 'Course I'd help."

"Never the less, it's always good to hear you say so. Your experience with disguises is something more of our division would do well to have, and we don't have anyone back in the area who could teach them as well as you can."

Anko snorted quietly. "That's unusual, an ANBU admitting that they don't have something."

Jakkaru shrugged expressively. "But, as hunter-nin, I'm a little odd by ANBU standards, now aren't I?" He cocked his head sideways. "I find life more fun that way."

The expression on Anko's face might have been called a grin, if there had actually been any real emotion behind it. "I just hope you know what you're doing with them." She said softly. "This," she gestured at the two figures, "goes on much longer, and you'll break them."

Jakkaru's voice was soft and implacable. "This will be over before long. One way or another."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kurenai extricated herself from a hot pot of soup and went to answer the knock on her door. She was a little startled to find her students on the other side. "Shino, Hinata. What can I do for you?"

Hinata passed over a few papers. "We just came by to drop these off, Sensei. Kotetsu-san caught us on our way past the Missions Office and asked if we minded giving you some papers to look over."

"Thank you both," Kurenai said, glancing them over. "I needed something from the records room, but I wasn't expecting it so soon."

"No problem, Sensei." Shino said calmly.

Looking up from the papers, the genjutsu mistress took her first good look at her students in some time, and very nearly shuddered. They looked terrible. Shino's shoulders slumped, like he was too tired to stand properly, and Hinata looked nearly as fragile as she had when Kurenai had first become her sensei. That they had both visibly lost weight, even through their heavy coats, made her nervous. "How have you two been?" she asked, deliberately keeping her voice calm and steady.

But before either could answer her, another voice hailed her from behind. "Hey, Kurenai, what do you want me to do with these noodles?" Sarutobi Asuma popped his head out of the kitchen.

There was a moment of silence, which Shino broke. "Are we interrupting something?" he asked dryly.

"A-ah, well," Kurenai found herself stammering nearly as badly as Hinata had, back at the beginning.

"We'll be on our way," Hinata said softly, a slight smile on her face. "It was good to see you again Asuma-sensei," she added, bowing slightly to the man behind her sensei, Shino moving in unison with her.

"See you later Sensei." Shino said, and turned to walk away. Hinata made her own hasty goodbyes and followed him.

Kurenai closed the door behind her and turned to look at her boyfriend. "Well," Asuma said, "That could have been worse, I suppose." Unable to help herself, Kurenai broke into helpless laughter.

Two days later, Team 10 was out at their usual training grounds when they were hailed by two visitors. Shino and Hinata, both a little the worse for wear, dropped from a tree and approached the team. "You'll have to forgive us for the haste," Hinata told them. "We're supposed to be elsewhere shortly."

Asuma raised an eyebrow. "I suppose this is about the other afternoon."

Shino bowed his head. "That is correct, Asuma-sensei."

"And now you're here to give me the third degree and find out just what I think about your sensei?"

Shino shrugged. "In truth, we trust Kurenai-sensei's ability to assess others and take care of herself. However, should the situation change…unpleasantly…" He let the sentence trail off.

Asuma barked out a laugh. "Let me guess, 'they'll never find my body'?"

"Mmmm, not quite," Hinata disagreed. "There will probably still be some…important bits left."

Eyebrows went up. "I see." Asuma said. "Can I at least assure you that…that…won't be necessary?"

"Then we understand each other," Shino nodded. "Please excuse us." And he turned and leapt back into the tree and out of sight.

Hinata bowed slightly, said "Please forgive us for interrupting your training session," and followed him.

Ino rounded on her sensei. "So, Asuma-sensei, what was that all about?"

Asuma had to fight down the urge to imitate his smartest student as Shikamaru muttered a 'troublesome' behind him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

One day, once Fall really had a grip on Konoha, Jakkaru whistled Hinata and Shino to him just before sunset. Unusually, Ryouken was with him. Breathing heavily, the two chuunin managed a bow.

Ryouken nodded at them. "All right, you two are done. Don't bother to show up here tomorrow."

* * *

A/N: I know. This got done a lot faster than I had anticipated. That being said, I suddenly found myself with a lot of (relatively) free time on my hands and a fair amount of emotional turmoil and frustration to deal with. Writing was a fairly productive way to channel it.

My grandmother died on August 12, 2010, at the age of 94. She'd been doing poorly for the past few months, but in the last three days or so she had a sudden decline that pretty much blindsided the rest of us.

For those of you curious about the title: It's a corruption of a phrase: "Burn the candle at both ends", which means living a hectic life, going to bed late and getting up early, and generally burning yourself out.

I couldn't say when the next chapter's coming out, so just keep your eyes open.

Next Chapter: A Matter of Fortitude


	12. A Matter of Fortitude

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

A Matter of Fortitude

_"All right, you two are done. Don't bother to show up here tomorrow."_

The breath caught in Hinata and Shino's throats. After everything, all the work and effort and hope they'd put into becoming hunter-nin, that was it? Numbness settled over them, making it seem like they were hearing everything from further away.

Ryouken was still talking. "Report to the Hokage tower tomorrow at 14.00 so we can get this wrapped up. Dismissed."

Still numb, the pair bowed to the two hunter-nin, then turned and walked back into the village. It was far earlier in the day than they had finished training in the past two months, and the village was still busy with people. As worn and exhausted as they looked, they attracted a number of strange looks, but they largely ignored them in favor of the crushing weight of Ryouken's dismissal.

Thanks to their introspection, it took Neji a couple of tries to hail his cousin.

"Hinata-sama. Hinata-sama!"

Team Gai had been crossing the village after turning in a mission report when Neji spotted Hinata and her partner in the street. Remembering the task Hiashi had given him about a week and a half prior, he managed to grab Hinata's attention.

"O-oh, Neji-niisan. What is it?"

Neji nearly bit his lip, but stopped. Fidgeting like that in public was not proper Hyuuga behavior. "Hiashi-sama wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience."

Hinata sighed and leaned into Shino, who slipped a hand under her elbow in support. "When did he…"

"He told me to pass on the message ten or eleven days ago."

Hinata hissed and lifted a hand to rub at her temple, not liking the implications of that at all.

"The Inuzuka would probably be willing to put you up for the night, if you'd rather not go back to the Hyuuga compound just yet." Shino said conversationally, eyes on Team Gai behind his goggles. "And if they are not, there is always a room for you in my family's home."

Hinata shook her head. "If Father asks Neji if he has seen me and passed on the message Neji will have to tell him the truth, and if I do not return tonight he will be more difficult to deal with. Thank you, though."

"Would you like me to come with you?"

Hinata shook her head again. "I need to have this conversation with Father alone, I think." She looked up at her cousin. "Thank you for telling me, Neji-niisan."

Neji bowed his head quickly.

"Good to see you again Neji-san, Lee-san, Tenten-san." Shino said, placing his other hand on his partner's shoulder. Neji caught sight of something small slipping from under his hand and inside Hinata's collar.

"And you, Shino-san! Indeed, it has been far too long…"

"It's nice to see you guys again," Tenten interjected, cutting Lee off before he could get started on one of his swiftly-becoming-infamous rants. "Come by and train with us sometime."

"Such a marvelous idea, Tenten-chan!"

Hinata and Shino bowed quickly and extricated themselves, leaving the excitable Green Beast with his teammates.

"If you need me, let me know." Shino murmured to his teammate as they paused at the gates to the Hyuuga compound. Hinata gave him a tired smile.

"Of course, Shino-kun."

As Shino walked away, headed in the direction of the Aburame households, Hinata squared her shoulders and went in search of her father.

Inquiries with a number of Branch House members, all of whom gave her startled looks, directed Hinata to one of the smaller gardens, where she found Hiashi sitting with a pot of tea.

"Father, you wished to see me?"

Glancing up at his eldest, Hiashi couldn't quite control his frown. "Hinata." He gestured for her to sit by him, taking the chance to examine the disheveled state of her clothing, her far thinner face, and her too-pale skin. Once Hinata was properly seated, he continued speaking. "You have been spending a lot of time out of the compound lately."

"Yes Father." When Hinata refused to volunteer any more information, Hiashi raised a mental eyebrow, and went digging.

"I trust you have been spending this time in a productive manner?"

"I have been training, Father."

"Hmm." Hiashi surveyed the garden for a few minutes before launching his next question. "And have you gotten the results you wished for?"

"Not…exactly." Hinata's shoulders slumped slightly. "But it was not," she paused, looking for the right words, "without benefit."

"Oh?" Hiashi's voice sounded indifferent to Hinata's ears, and her hold on her temper slipped.

"Hokage-sama said that she might assign me to diplomatic missions."

"Hmm. Considering what Tsunade-sama seems to consider diplomacy, that is an interesting assignment." Hiashi did not enjoy Tsunade's bluntness, and often wished that Sarutobi had managed to teach her to be a politician when she was his student. At least with the Sandaime you could largely gloss over the man's manipulation. The Godaime was about as subtle as a shove.

Fifteen hours later, once she'd had some sleep and a decent meal, Hinata would be embarrassed by her lapse in judgment. At the moment, though, she was tired, hungry, and desperately wanted to go to her room so she could have a good cry and get some rest. "M-my team was a-assigned to a joint m-mission to Suna two m-months ago. W-we ended up spending three days i-in Suna, and Ts-Tsunade-sama said that the Kazekage w-was impressed."

"Is that so." Hiashi looked over at his daughter again, then decided the rest of his questions could wait until she was more composed. "Hinata, return to your quarters. You are overtired and could benefit from some rest."

Hinata sat for a moment before rising. "Yes, Father." With a slight bow, she turned and walked away.

Hiashi's gaze rested unseeing on the surface of the pond as he returned to puzzling out his eldest. He had the best sight in his clan, and he was not getting a clear picture. This was becoming ever more troubling.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Daddy, would you train with me today?" Yamanaka Inoichi glanced up from his breakfast at his daughter. "I wanted to work on my Mind-Body techniques a little more before the next Chuunin Exam." Ino told him, playing with her glass.

Before Inoichi could reply, a knock on the window drew the Yamanaka's attention. A messenger shinobi was balanced on the window ledge, holding a folded sheet of paper. "Just one second, Princess," Inoichi said, pushing himself to his feet and going to open the window for the messenger.

"Message for you Inoichi-san," the shinobi told him, passing over the paper. Message delivered, he backflipped off the sill and took off, drawing his next message from the pouch on his hip to check the recipient's name.

Inoichi raised his eyebrow as he glanced down at the paper, taking in the seal scrawled along the edge to hold it shut. Absently biting his thumb, he smeared a little blood over the seal, letting it dissolve away. A seal meant work. Flipping it open, he was not disappointed. The message was short but to the point, written in Ibiki's distinctive blocky strokes.

_New puppies need a checkup. Usual place, 13.30_

A cough behind Inoichi reminded him of his daughter. "Sorry, Princess," he said, turning back to the table. "I need to go in to work today. Day after tomorrow?"

Ino pouted slightly, but nodded. "Sure, Daddy."

"That's my girl." Inoichi folded up the note and slipped it into his pocket, mind already halfway across the village. The words 'new' and 'checkup' meant ANBU trainees, coming in for a thorough evaluation. 'Puppies' meant hunter-nin. T&I had assigned each department their own animal during Nidaime's reign as the ANBU finally sorted itself out, to make it easier to classify them – Black Ops were 'fledglings', while medics were 'cubs' and R & Ds were 'kittens'.

Inoichi applied himself to his cooling breakfast, already making plans for his part of the evaluation. The hunter-nin hadn't had a trainee make it this far in nearly three years, as far as he knew. Should be interesting.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Despite Shino's intention to sleep until 11.00 at least, he found himself blinking awake shortly after dawn. When attempts to go back to sleep by burying his head under his blanket proved fruitless, he dragged himself out of bed and dug out some clean clothes, muttering under his breath about irritating habits and the sadistic commanders who created them. He made himself breakfast, but was unable to choke down more than a few bites, the memory of Ryouken's commands echoing in his head.

_You two are done. Don't bother to show up here tomorrow._

Deciding it was a lost cause, he left the rest of the food for his father and wandered back towards Hinata's lab. It had been neglected during their absence and he puttered around for a while straightening out jars of ingredients and throwing out what little litter he could find. When he found himself straightening the pestle in the mortar for the second time, Shino forced himself to walk out of the lab and back into the main part of the house, settling into a chair. Five minutes later he could no longer deal with inaction and he went to get his coat.

Leaving the house, Shino wandered aimlessly, nodding absently to the occasional person, usually Inuzuka, who hailed him. When his feet stopped moving, he pulled himself back to alertness to find himself standing at the Memorial Stone. Shaking his head slightly, Shino dropped to his knees in front of Kiba's name, his breath leaving him in a harsh rasp of a chuckle.

_Hello, Kiba. I'm sorry I haven't visited in so long. The hunter-nin kept driving us into the ground…and yes, I know I look like shit. Hinata may have the better vision, but I'm not blind._ He stared at the ground in front of his knees for a minute, then lifted his gaze to the neatly-chiseled characters. _Kiba, the way Ryouken-taicho worded his orders…I don't know what to expect from them today. It sounded like he was displeased. It…it sounded like we failed._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

When Hinata woke up at around 10.00, it was with gritty eyes and the cotton of her pillowcase sticking damply to her cheek. She'd silently cried herself to sleep the night before, and, glancing at the mirror in the bathroom, she could see the faint tracks of tears along her face. Washing her face and dressing, Hinata made her way to the kitchen for food, trying to avoid any who might still be around.

Quickly heating some broth, she drank it down as fast as her stomach would let her before slipping out of the house. The last thing she wanted today was to deal with her family. Escaping without being hailed, she wandered out into the streets of Konoha. It didn't take her long to decide that she didn't want to be around people in general, not just her family, and she began trying to think of a place where she knew she could be alone. Most of the village was out of the question, especially if an Inuzuka wanted to talk – if you were in the village and not obviously doing something, you were fair game as far as they were concerned. The training grounds were considered and rejected, as was the library. Finally deciding on the cemetery, Hinata turned and cut across the residential sectors.

When Hinata arrived, she picked her way through to the Hyuuga section of the cemetery. Like nearly all the bloodline clans the Hyuuga cremated their dead, but the ashes of their shinobi were buried in the general cemetery, in large part due to an agreement between the Shodaime and the then clan heads. By burying the shinobi dead together, regardless of clan affiliation, Senju Hashirama had hoped to have one more way to unite their disparate interests and keep the fledgling village together. In return, the clans handled the bodies of their own dead without the interference of the village.

Dropping to her knees in front of one grave marker, Hinata looked the plot over, biting her lower lip. Hyuuga Yukiko had been a chuunin when she married Hiashi, and although she'd not been active for nearly six years before her death she'd been buried as a shinobi. The plot was kept relatively clean by the volunteers who took care of the cemetery and the occasional Hyuuga who came out to tend to the clan's graves, but there were some weeds that needed pulling and the engraved letters needed to be swept out. Hinata neatened up her mother's gravesite as well as she could, then stood and pressed her hands together, offering a brief prayer. She didn't feel the need to talk to her mother the way she did Kiba – among other things, she wasn't sure what she'd say. She'd been five when a combination of old injuries and Hanabi's birth caused Yukiko's death, and her memories of her mother were fuzzy.

Her mother's grave cleaner, Hinata passed the Senju, Akimichi, and Nara plots to reach the Inuzuka. Kiba's grave had been cleaned more recently, probably by Hana if the incense smudges were any clue. Kneeling, Hinata gently brushed them away before offering another short prayer. She sat in silence for a good quarter of an hour before, with a shuddering gasp, the words just burst out and she started talking rapidly.

"We've been working so hard, putting in so much time. I haven't had a conversation with Hanabi in weeks. We're tired and yesterday taicho said…he said…" unable to repeat the words, she shuddered, and was distantly surprised to feel tears running down her face. She'd cried so much the previous night that she'd have thought she'd cried herself out.

"I'm sorry, Kiba-kun. I'm so sorry."

For a moment she imagined she felt the warmth of an arm across her shoulder in a hug, but the feeling dissipated as soon as it came.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Morino Ibiki, Yamanaka Ino, and Ryouken stood around a table in a bare room on one of the subterranean floors of the Hokage tower, waiting for Jakkaru to bring them the trainees.

"Alright, Ryouken-san," Ibiki rumbled, hands in the pockets of his gigantic coat. "What've you got for us?"

The hunter-nin dropped two folders on the table. "My division's current trainees, Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata, currently designated Jakkaru's Pups." The scarred tobuketsu scooped up one of the folders, passing the other to Inoichi, as Ryouken went on. "They began their training three months ago, and we're grooming them to operate as a pair. Their progression has been what we usually expect from our trainees, and we've spent the last seven weeks running them into the ground on a burnout regimen. Their primary trainer, Jakkaru, tells me he's had them right on the edge of collapse for the past four days. In accordance with procedure, we're turning them over to you for evaluation before we progress any farther with them."

Inoichi had Shino's file open to the page with his basic information summary. "Ryouken-san, these trainees are thirteen. That's a little young for hunter-nin, isn't it?"

Ryouken shrugged. "It was take them now or let a potential asset go to waste."

"I remember the Hyuuga from the Chuunin Exams," Ibiki said, scanning Hinata's file. "As far as I recall she's like cracked porcelain – it wouldn't take much to damage her." He glanced up at the hunter-nin. "You must be seeing something in her to make this worth it."

Ryouken tilted his head in acknowledgement of the comment, and Ibiki got the sense the man was smiling. "She may look like porcelain but I can assure you, gentlemen, that they've both got cores of steel."

"They're going to need them," Ibiki snorted, trading folders with Inoichi. "Especially if they want to pass the evaluations." He frowned. "I'm not going to lie to you, Ryouken-san, they're coming in with a handicap. Since they're clan heirs, there's a limit to how far we can push them. On top of that, Tsunade-sama has us under orders to leave them capable of diplomatic missions, if they don't pan out as hunter-nin. We're not going to be able to test them as thoroughly as they should be, so I'm automatically downgrading them."

If Ryouken was perturbed by this, he didn't show it. "They may surprise you yet," he said mildly.

There was a brief tap on the door and Anko poked her head in. "Heya, Ibiki!" She called cheerfully. "What's this I hear about examinations?"

The big man shook his head. "Sorry, Anko, you'll have to sit out on this one."

Anko slipped into the room and closed the door behind you, planting her hands on her hips. "Why the hell do I have to sit this out? I'm one of the best you've got!"

"And you'd be compromised if you took it on." Ibiki told her calmly. "I can't have a conflict of interest."

Anko went very still for a moment. The list of people who might cause her to have a conflict of interest in her line of work was short. "They're doing that well?" she breathed.

Ibiki raised an eyebrow, and Anko scowled at him.

"Fine," she snapped. "I'll sit this one out." She turned away and flounced out of the room.

Anko hadn't been gone five minutes when someone else tapped twice on the door. Jakkaru, leading Shino and Hinata down the hall to an empty office. Inoichi placed the folder he'd been perusing down on the table. "That's our cue." He and Ibiki slipped into the shadows as Ryouken opened the door and followed his second down the hall.

When Ryouken entered the office, he spent a moment observing his trainees before he announced himself. Shino stood straight-backed, hands in pockets and goggles firmly covering his eyes. Hinata, meanwhile, stood at his shoulder with her hands clasped in front of her, eyes trained on the desk and shoulders slightly slumped. In front of a civilian, even most genin and chuunin, they would have looked calm and collected. To an ANBU, they were practically broadcasting exhaustion and distress.

"Good afternoon," Ryouken said, walking around the desk. "The next part of the procedure beings now."

Ibiki and Inoichi emerged from the shadows right behind his trainees. To their credit, they reacted fast, turning as they summoned a weapon to hand, insects and shimmering chakra appearing at their fingertips. Before they came anywhere near connecting, though, the jounin had slapped seal tags to their skin, and they dropped into unconsciousness.

Inoichi caught Hinata. Ibiki let Shino hit the ground. When the last of the insects he could see stopped twitching, he threw the boy over his shoulder and turned to the hunter-nin. "Do you want to watch this?"

Jakkaru shook his head. Ryouken considered it a moment, then shrugged. "I leave it in your capable hands, Ibiki-san."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Inoichi carried Hinata to one of the interrogation rooms and sat her on a chair, strapping her in. Pulling another chair around to sit across from her, he rested his hands on her temples. He usually preferred backup when going into another mind, just in case there was something truly nasty lying in wait, but for what he was going to do he'd be fine on his own.

Closing his eyes and slipping into Hinata's mind, he opened them again to find himself floating in a dark space. Before he could probe any farther, he found himself facing a child-Hinata, sitting with her knees drawn up and face buried in them. As he approached, a voice began to speak, gradually getting louder.

_Failure…Disgrace…Worthless…Dishonor…_

It took Inoichi a moment, but he finally identified the voice as belonging to Hyuuga Hiashi. Wincing slightly in sympathy for the child in front of him, he marshaled his forces and began to push. It wouldn't be pleasant, but Hinata would probably thank him later. He hoped.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Shino came back to awareness to find himself without his coat and goggles and strapped to a chair. Blinking a couple of times in the light, he managed to note that the room was bare concrete and plain tile when a figure moved into his line of vision. He recognized Morino Ibiki in his distinctive coat and bandanna, and bowed his head slightly. "Ibiki-san."

The big man paced forward until he was standing over the boy. "Hey kid. I've got some questions for you, and you're going to tell me what I need to know."

Shino refused to look up at the man. "Am I, Ibiki-san?"

With a bark of laughter, Ibiki turned away and picked up something Shino couldn't quite see out of the corner of his eye.

When Ibiki pulled a chair around some time later and sat down backwards, facing him, Shino blinked a few times and resisted the urge to cough. "You're a stubborn one," the big man told him. "Perhaps I'm wasting my time with you. Perhaps I'd get better results asking your pretty little teammate."

Red-hot rage rose unbidden from Shino's gut, and he didn't quite control himself in time to stop his arms from jerking in the restraints.

Ibiki grinned, like a cat spotting an injured mouse.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Grumbling slightly to himself, Inoichi examined the outer levels of Shino's mind. This was exactly why he hated going after Ibiki for something like this – the other man had gotten the boy all riled up and he wasn't going to be able to get a good idea of the boy's base state. Sighing slightly, he probed the outer defenses and found them to be just as solid as he'd expected, given the necessary emotional control an Aburame possessed.

Applying himself more firmly to the 'walls' between himself and his goal, Inoichi's attention was momentarily distracted by a surge of hunger from outside the mind. The hunger was followed quickly by a pressing need to action that itched annoyingly to him, disturbing his concentration a little further. Inoichi frowned. Now he remembered just why he generally avoided doing this to Aburame – the hives had their own lesser consciousness that, in the absence of attention from the host, could get testy.

Allocating some of his energy to protecting his own mind from the hives, Inoichi turned back to the other human mind.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ibiki examined the little Hyuuga girl with interest. She'd reacted typically upon waking up, eyes flying around the room to identify her surroundings, but she calmed fairly quickly for a girl her age. He started applying a little verbal pressure, and she promptly shut down, staring at the wall and not responding to his jabs.

He decided to up the ante. "Tell me, Hyuuga-chan. What about your teammates? Oh, forgive me, teammate."

Pure unadulterated shock flashed across her face for a second, before she shut down again. Ibiki hid a smile. Now he had something concrete to work with.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ibiki and Inoichi sat in Ibiki's office with Ryouken and Jakkaru, going over their notes from the evaluation.

"Shino is about the norm for Aburame," Inoichi was saying as he nursed a cup of herbal tea. "Pretty closed off and difficult to break into, and distracting to boot." He grimaced. "I'd forgotten how headache-inducing an Aburame can be. They're so tied into their insects that if you're not careful you get caught up in the hive's instincts. He's got two of them too, which does not help. On the other hand, once you break in he's surprisingly volatile."

Ibiki nodded. "Pretty levelheaded when confronted, but he's got a mouth on him. That'll get him into trouble. He can largely ignore a threat to himself, but the minute his teammate's threatened you can get a rise out of him. That's another trouble spot. I'd recommend deploying them separately, but you say you want them as a pair." He glanced over at the hunter-nin.

There was the hint of a wry smile in Ryouken's voice. "That had been a concern of ours," he said calmly.

Jakkaru sat forward in his chair. "The thing is, Ibiki-san, that they work best as a pair. Oh, they're pretty good on their own, could keep up with any other trainee, but give them a couple of years experience in the field and they'll be hunting rings around me." He shook his head. "Their teamwork's insane."

"Hm." The scarred man returned to his papers. "Your little Hyuuga is interesting indeed. She shuts down when you put pressure on her, which is not the norm for her clan. Just stares through you like you're not there. It's a good strategy in theory, but if she's given a strong enough shock she slips and a smart interrogator can use that. Like Aburame, her team's a weak point. She also reacts to anything around her eyes, particularly if it's sharp, but that's typical in most Hyuuga, particularly the main house."

Taking another fortifying gulp of tea, Inoichi picked up the thread. "She's got perhaps the strangest mental shields I've seen, but they've got a number of glaring weaknesses if you concentrate. That being said," he looked at the hunter-nin, gaze steady, "I now know exactly why Yuuhi Kurenai dislikes Hyuuga Hiashi so much."

"Anyway," Ibiki interrupted, "You'll be happy to know that we can pass them. However, I want them working with someone from T&I, and I'd like to check up on them again just before you activate them."

"Thank you, Ibiki-san." Ryouken bowed slightly in his chair. "Might we borrow Mitarashi Anko? She's already given the puppies some instruction and we were hoping she might do some persona work with them."

Ibiki snorted. "If you want her, then have at it. I don't think I'd be able to keep her away."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

When Hinata and Shino surfaced again, it was to find themselves lying on beds in what looked like a room at a clinic. Pushing himself upright slowly, Shino winced a little at the intensity of the light. Somebody passed him a pair of shades and as he put them on he recognized Jakkaru sitting in a chair between the beds. Hinata was on the other, already sitting up.

"Now that you're awake," the hunter-nin began, "I can give you something of an explanation."

"Explanation?" Shino asked, rubbing his temples with one hand. He could feel a headache building.

Jakkaru nodded. "Part of being a member of ANBU is knowing that the odds of your mission going wrong are very good. Because of that, we have to make sure our incoming members aren't going to lose it when everything goes to hell."

Hinata gasped a little, then flushed when both of the males looked over at her. "Th-that's why you made it sound like we'd failed." She said quickly, playing with the sleeve of her coat. "You wanted us off-balance."

"That's part of it," Jakkaru confirmed. "We deliberately put you on a burnout regimen – good job lasting as long as you did, by the way, you passed the average by a good three days – so that by the time we hit you with your supposed failure you were exhausted and not thinking too clearly."

"That can't be all of it," Shino interrupted, frowning. "If all you wanted was to make us perform under pressure, then why hand us over to Ibiki-san?"

"Because we want you to understand what happens when a mission goes wrong." All three looked up to see Ryouken standing in the door. "You'll run yourselves to exhaustion doing everything you can possibly think of to shake your pursuer. You'll have to deal with the feeling of failure crushing down on you. Should you be taken alive by a non-allied village, you'll be handed over to their equivalent of Ibiki." The dark eyes in the white mask stared down at Hinata and Shino. "Still think you can handle this, puppies? If you want to back out, do it now. Tsunade'll assign you to diplomatic and general tracking missions and you can go back to being semi-normal chuunin."

There was a moment of silence. "You said puppies, Ryouken-taicho." Hinata said softly.

"That's right."

Shino and Hinata traded a look, communicating silently with slight gestures.

_What do you think?_

_ I want to keep going._

_ We can do this._

Shino looked back at the two hunter-nin. "When and where do we report next, Taicho?"

"Day after tomorrow, 09.00, at the usual place," Ryouken told them. It was impossible to see with the mask, but it sounded like he was smiling. "Don't bother to bring more than the basics, we'll be doing something a little different."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Anko sulked at her favorite dango stand. Kurenai had turned out to be on a mission, so she couldn't share the news that their two favorite chuunin were tackling one of the first major ANBU checkpoints, and she knew full well that Ibiki wouldn't let her see the reports until the Hokage had had a chance to read them.

A pebble dropped onto the table next to her nearly empty plate and Anko snapped her head up, fully intent on castigating whoever had nearly desecrated her dango. The words died in her throat as she caught sight of a masked face looking down at her before the hunter-nin nodded sideways and launched himself off. Settling her bill and snatching up the last dango stick, Anko quickly followed.

Turning down an alley, she found the ANBU waiting for her. "Yeah?"

"Anko-san, the hunter-nin wish to borrow you."

Anko blinked. "Borrow? For what?"

"Some of our trainees will need training in personas and disguises. A number of our members could stand to brush up on their skills as well. You are well-experienced with disguises and infiltration, and we would like you to work with our trainees. If you have the time and inclination, we would appreciate any help you could give our active members as well."

"An' I'm sure the fact that I already work with your trainees wasn't lost on ya?" Anko couldn't help the grin. She'd not had a chance to play with her kohai in nearly three months, and was looking forward to this.

"Of course not. Shall we say training ground 23, 11.00, on the day after tomorrow?"

Anko hummed slightly under her breath. "So long as Ibiki doesn't need me for anything, then sure."

"We've checked with Ibiki. He said we were welcome to borrow you."

One of Anko's unholy grins crossed her face. "Then I'll see ya there."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Walking back to the Inuzuka household from the clinic, Hana stopped and blinked for a moment, half wondering if she was imagining things. She'd not seen Hinata or Shino for months, none of the clan had as far as she knew. But no, there they were, pacing along the road together, heads close as they talked quietly. A slight grin crept across Hana's face as she leaned down towards her four-footed companions. "Go get 'em, guys."

Needing no further encouragement, the Haimaru triplets took off, weaving around the chuunin's legs. One managed to pin Hinata against a fence and began trying to lick her face, while the other two actually knocked Shino over and proceeded to climb all over him.

"Caught you!" Hana crowed, laughing as she watched her ninken enthusiastically greet her clan-cousins.

"It appears you have," Shino said dryly, ducking to avoid one of the triplets as they attempted to wash his ear.

"Alright guys, let them up," Hana laughed, waving the dogs off. "We'll take them to visit the clan." She mock-glared at the younger teens in front of her. "You've disappointed the kids, you know," she informed them. "Every week, 'When are Hina-neechan and Shi-niisan coming to play?' You should be ashamed of yourselves."

Hinata practically deflated. "I-I'm so sorry Hana-san, it's just – "

Hana cut her off. "Hey, hey, I was just giving you a hard time, okay? Come on, we'll go to the clan houses, the kids will get a chance to say hello, and everything will go back to normal, alright?" She wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulders, coaxing the younger girl along as one of the triplets leaned slightly against Shino's legs, nudging him after them.

The toddlers among the Inuzuka were thrilled to have their 'cousins' back, and the retired chuunin who'd been put on babysitting duty was equally happy for a break. Hinata and Shino ended up spending the rest of the day there, as Tsume walked in as they were attempting to excuse themselves and insisted they stay for dinner.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Kohai mine!"

Shino and Hinata ducked automatically as their senpai appeared behind them. Jakkaru, leaning against a tree in front of them, chuckled. "As I was saying," he told them, "you are at the point in your training where you get to learn alternate methods of finding your marks. There will be a lot of hunting through the wilderness, but there will also be times when you need to go undercover or infiltrate an organization to get at them. To that end, Mitarashi-san has kindly agreed to help us teach you what you need to know."

"Yep!" Anko chirped, slinging her arms around the two chuunin's necks. "This is gonna be fun."

And it was fun, in its own way. The first few days were spent in the village proper, observing the people around them and answering Anko and Jakkaru's demands for observation. "The details are what make and break a persona," Anko kept insisting. Jakkaru had his own mantra. "It's not enough to pretend to be somebody, if you're going for deep cover. You need to actually _be_ your new identity."

Before long, the trainees were being given roles to play. "Truculent civilian." "Refugee." "Naïve teenager." "Flirt." "Overconfident idiot." "Carefree noble." It was slow going. Both of them could pull off the quieter roles without too much trouble, but they kept hesitating when told to play a more expressive part. Finally, in frustration, Anko applied for a week's leave, which she got, and dragged them to the capitol city.

Every day she took them out into a different part of the city, and had them play someone else, sometimes as a pair, sometimes alone. She also began to teach them ways to change their appearance without using ninjutsu or genjutsu – makeup, clothing, ways of moving, even speech patterns. At the end of the week, Anko pronounced them "passable"…then proceeded to chase them back to Konoha in a game of Anko-style tag.

* * *

A/N:

Yes, I seem to keep drawing dog references. No, only half of them are intentional – the rest just sort of happen.

Thank you everyone for the sympathy you showered me with last chapter. It helped so much.

Next Chapter: Invisible Identities


	13. Invisible Identities

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.

* * *

Invisible Identities

"Well, I'm afraid I've only got a place for Hana-san. It's still the slow season and until it picks up then I simply don't have a need for another worker."

Shino nodded as Hinata gently squeezed his hand. "I understand, Fukui-san."

Hinata leaned forward a bit. "Fukui-san, do you know if there's a place nearby that's hiring? If Aki can find a job here, then-"

"Hana-chan, don't base your taking the job on me." Shino interrupted, smiling at her. "I'll find something."

Fukui Shizuka, the owner and matron of the ryokan, considered the pair a moment. Hana and Aki had shown up the day before, requesting work. They'd carried a letter of introduction from an acquaintance of hers, and had told her that there weren't any jobs in their village. She had a suspicion that there was something else there, but for now she wouldn't pry into the cousin's business. "There's a shop down the road run by a friend of mine, Ito Ren. Just the other day he mentioned something about finding an extra pair of hands. I can send you to him, Aki-san, if you would like a job close by."

Shino bowed slightly. "That would be wonderful, Fukui-san."

Ito Ren did indeed have a job for Aki, and by the end of the day the two were settling down in their new spaces – Hana in the small dormitory shared by the girls at the ryokan, Aki in the back room of Ito Ren's small store.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Hana-chan!" one of the girls called, ducking her head into the larger linen cupboard. "Your cousin's outside."

Hinata looked up from the towels she was folding and putting on the shelves. "Thank you Naoko-chan." She put the last of the stack on the shelf, then hurried out to the front door, slipping on a pair of geta as she stepped outside. "Aki?"

Shino was indeed waiting outside. "Hey, Hana-chan. I've got a free minute and thought I'd come by and check on you."

Hinata gave him Hana's shy smile. "I'm doing fine. How's your work?"

Shino shrugged, moving to lean against the porch. "It's okay. Lots of fetching and carrying, but Ito-san's a pretty nice boss and I've met a couple of guys my age who work on the same street."

"That's good," Hinata smiled.

"Hey, Aki!" A boy shouted, trotting up the road. "D'you think you could come give me a hand with something for a minute? Norio wandered off somewhere and Ito said he'd given you an hour's break so…" He trailed to a halt as he jogged to a stop next to Shino, staring at Hinata. "Dang man, you move fast!" He said, slapping the other boy on the shoulder. "You've been here less than a week and you've already got a girlfriend!"

Hinata giggled as Shino gave an exasperated groan. "Hana-chan, this is one of the guys I was telling you about, Kazuhiro. Kazuhiro, this is my cousin Hana. We grew up together."

"Nice to meet you, Kazuhiro-kun." Hinata said around her giggles.

"Pleasure's all mine, pretty Hana." Kazuhiro said, bowing exaggeratedly. "Ow, Aki, what the hell!" Shino had bopped him on the head.

"I guess I'll see you later, Hana," Shino told her, giving her a one-armed hug before he turned away. "Come on Kazuhiro, you said you wanted me to help with something?"

"You never told me you had a pretty cousin!" she could hear Kazuhiro berating Shino as they walked away.

"And have you pestering her? No way!"

Hinata slipped the piece of paper into out of her collar as she turned to go inside. Quickly memorizing the time and location, she balled it up and dropped it into the firewood laid out under the big laundry tub, waiting for the next batch of soiled sheets and towels, as she passed.

Late that night, Shino slipped quietly out of the little store Aki worked at and made his way to the edge of the ryokan. Hinata joined him minutes later. "Any word?" Shino whispered, keeping an eye on the surrounding woods.

Hinata shook her head. "Whispers, nothing substantial. I know there's a large party due to arrive in two weeks, but I didn't catch a name."

"That should be them," Shino muttered to himself. Hinata nodded. "I've not heard anything myself, but Ito-san doesn't talk much."

"I'll keep watching," Hinata murmured. "You might want to keep coming by though. If it's an emergency I'll come find you but Fukui-san's not terribly fond of the girls going wandering."

Shino nodded. "I'll see you later then." He slipped away into the bushes, Hinata taking another moment to survey the area before returning to the ryokan dorms.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kazuhiro dropped onto the fence near Shino, wiping his arm across his face. "It's waaay too hot today." He glanced over at Shino. "Damn, Aki, aren't you boiling in that shirt? Go ahead and take it off, man."

Shino looked up, Aki's nervous smile on his face. "I'm fine, Kazuhiro, really."

Norio snorted. "At least roll up your sleeves or something. I'm getting hot just watching you wander around in long sleeves."

"It's okay guys, honest."

"Aw, c'mon!" Kazuhiro reached out to tug Shino's sleeve up. The chuunin had to remind himself for a minute that he was Aki, a fifteen-year-old civilian, but then the other part of his persona had come into play, and Kazuhiro was staring at his arm, stunned.

Shino needed an excuse to keep himself covered. The access points for his hive were too unusual-looking to be explained away as a normal scar, and there was always the chance that someone would recognize them for what they were, much like the unique color of Hinata's eyes. So, after some discussion, he and Hinata had decided to hide them in plain sight.

"Shit, Aki…" Norio muttered, walking closer to get a better look.

"What happened?" Kazuhiro demanded.

Shino gently pulled his arm out of Kazuhiro's grasp and pulled the sleeve back down over the plethora of fake scars that crisscrossed his arm. Hinata had done them the day before they arrived in town, using body paints and the occasional three-dimensional scar and applying an oil-based adhesive to keep them from washing off. Made of a combination of wax and rendered animal bones, they looked incredibly real. Hinata's disguise had been easier – Anko had gotten her hands on some brown contact lenses.

"My father died when I was really little. Mom had died the year before, so I was sent to his brother. My uncle is…" he trailed off a little before continuing on. "Not a nice man."

"No kidding." Kazuhiro muttered. "Aki, do those…" He gestured vaguely with one hand, indicating the other arm and Shino's back.

Shino retrieved Aki's nervous smile. "Yeah." He let the awkward silence build for a minute before he broke it. "So what else do we have to do today?"

"Aki..." Kazuhiro asked softly as they walked back to the store, "Does Hana…?"

"No," Shino shook his head. "He wanted to marry her off to the richest man he could find, and," he let a harsh smile cross his face, "I'm good at getting in the way."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A week and a half after Hana and Aki arrived in the village, the ryokan was plunged into an uproar. The girls were told to prepare for a large party of guests and were kept busy scrubbing, washing, polishing, and dusting. Hinata quietly passed the information on to Shino, and the pair settled in to wait.

On a particularly rainy day, a large group rode up to the ryokan. The girls were kept busy fetching, carrying, and serving, while Shino and some of the other boys from town had been recruited to help with the horses. Finally everyone – a minor nobleman whose family were merchants on the side, his young wife, and assorted servants and guards – was settled and the bustle died down to something approximating normality.

Hinata kept her eyes open and her head down as she moved through the ryokan, carrying food from the kitchens to the dining room the servants and guards shared. Their contact was somewhere in the party that had just come in. Now all they needed to do was find them.

This was Hinata's part of the operation. As Shino had not managed to get a job in the ryokan, it was her responsibility to make contact with the Konoha agent planted somewhere in the nobleman's household. The expected reports were late, and while their superior officers were pretty sure nothing had gone wrong, they wanted to take a closer look. Since the nobleman was considered a low risk, Tsunade and Ryouken had felt confident enough in the abilities of two hunter-nin trainees to send Shino and Hinata out.

Over the next twenty-four hours Hinata observed the group of guests. She cut out most of the guards fairly quickly – there were only five of them, and three appeared to be new. The nobleman himself was out, as was his lady: her family was known to be distantly connected to the daimyo, and there was no way Konoha would have managed to make her an agent. That left the noble's valet, his secretary, his wife's maid, and the two veteran guards.

In the end, Hinata made her identification almost by accident. She'd been carrying towels down the hall when she passed by the small room the lady's maid had been assigned to. The woman had her back to the door, which was slightly open, and Hinata just managed to make out small spirals embroidered along her obi in red, the same color as the spirals on the chuunin and jounin flack jackets.

Suspicions piqued, she kept an eye on the woman for another twelve hours, picking up more tells – stylized leaves on her sleeves, the way she kept glancing sideways at the girls in the ryokan, and the way her movements were sometimes a little too smooth. Slipping into an empty storage room for a few minutes, Hinata slipped a hand under her collar and retrieved an insect Shino had left with her. Releasing it with soft instructions to stay out of sight, she went back to work.

That evening at around twilight the two met up at the gate to the ryokan. Hinata quietly passed on her thoughts, Shino listening. "I think we should approach her tonight," Hinata finished quietly. "I can't imagine it's anyone else."

Shino considered that for a moment, then nodded. "I will remain close." Reaching out, he gently rested a hand on Hinata's shoulder, letting insects trail out of his sleeve and into her clothes. "Be careful."

Catching sight of someone approaching Shino from behind, Hinata instituted a change of conversation. "When do you think your aunt will get back to you, Aki?"

Raising an eyebrow slightly in question, Shino did his best to play along. "I sent her a letter just before we arrived, so her reply should show up in the next week or so. Though, if she's moved since then, it might take longer."

"You've got an aunt?" A boy a little older than Shino stopped beside them. "Good evening," he nodded at Hinata. "You must be the one Kazuhiro calls 'Pretty Hana'. I'm Norio, I work just down the road from your cousin here."

"Nice to meet you," Hinata said, pulling out Hana's smile.

Shino shrugged. "My mom's much younger sister. She lives out near Nami, and last I heard she was housekeeper for a merchant. I thought I should let her know I was no longer living with my uncle."

"Ah," Norio nodded, "that makes sense."

"Did you need me for something, Norio?"

The older boy shrugged. "My mom told me to bring somebody extra to dinner tonight because she'd made too much curry. You interested?"

"Sure." Giving Hinata another one-armed hug, Shino turned back down the road to the center of the village. "See you later, Hana."

Later that evening, Hinata tapped on the door of the lady's maid's room, carrying a towel over one arm. When the woman opened the door, she bowed slightly. "The towel you requested, miss."

One eyebrow raised, the woman took the towel. "Thank you. What's your name again?"

"Hana, miss. Was there anything else you needed?"

"No Hana, thank you. You can go."

"Good night miss." As she walked away, Hinata resisted the temptation to switch on her Byakugan. She already knew what the woman would find in the folds of the towel – a leaf from one of the outside trees, a small spiral sliced into it.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sorting through the stockroom behind Ito-san's store, Shino worried. It wasn't that he didn't trust Hinata to handle this on her own, because he had every faith in his teammate's skills, but he didn't like being so far away if something went wrong and she needed backup. It had been a little over nine months since they had lost Kiba, but to Shino the wound was still raw.

Shino felt the tension leave his shoulders as one of the insects he'd left with Hinata landed on his collar, transferring everything it had observed since he'd placed it with his teammate. Hinata had made the first move. All that remained was to see what happened next.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next afternoon, Hinata was stopped as she walked down the hall by someone calling for Hana. Turning, she found the lady's maid standing behind her. "Yes miss?"

"My lady's not well, Hana. I need you to fetch some green tea from the kitchens, and then I've got an errand for you to run."

Turning away, Hinata did as she was told, fingers absently smoothing over the fabric of her obi, checking on the senbon tucked inside. When she tapped at the door to the noblewoman's rooms, the maid opened the door and took the tray. "Wait here a moment." Ducking inside the rooms and out of sight, the older woman was shortly back with a loosely folded stack of towels. "I'll need replacements for these."

Taking the towels down to the laundry, Hinata carefully unfolded them before adding them to the hamper. Her patience was rewarded when a scrap of thin paper fluttered from the third towel. Catching it, Hinata read it quickly before slipping it up her sleeve.

_Tonight. 23.00. Outside._

Later that afternoon, when she slipped back to her room in the dorms to change her clothes, Hinata rolled the scrap of paper up as tightly as she could and tucked the end under so that it would stay that way. Coaxing one of Shino's insects from the fold of her sleeve, she passed the pellet over to it and sent it on its way back to its master.

Carrying fresh towels back to the noblewoman's rooms, Hinata smiled softly to herself. This was looking promising.

That night, Shino and Hinata met up half an hour before the meeting to do some brief recon. Finding no indications of a trap, they quickly decided that Hinata would speak with their contact alone, leaving Shino in place for backup if something went wrong. Shino faded into the bushes as the lady's maid approached.

"Hana." The woman said, nodding slightly in greeting.

"You wished to see me, miss?" Hinata replied softly.

"Let's dispense with the pleasantries, shall we?" The woman said, folding her arms across her chest. "Fire burns where the leaves dance."

"Yet still remains among the coals." The shoulders of both women loosened fractionally at the exchange of sign and countersign. "Your letters were late," Hinata continued, "and Auntie got worried."

The woman grimaced. "My apologies. The captain of the guard is relatively new and awkwardly eager to prove his worth." Slipping her arm up her sleeve, she withdrew a thin packet of papers. "This should ease her worries."

Bending her head slightly forward, Hinata let her hair fall forward to hide the distended veins as she activated her Byakugan. Ignoring the slight ache of the lenses she wore to hide her eye color, she examined the papers for possible traps. Finding none, she reached out a hand to take them. "Thank you for your courtesy. Do you require assistance?"

Passing the papers over, the woman shook her head. "I will have dealt with the issue by the time my next letter is due," she told them, then backed up two paces. "I will return to my room now. If you have any plans, please wait until I'm out of range."

Bowing slightly, Hinata smiled. "Of course. It has been a pleasure."

Both Shino and Hinata waited in place until their contact had returned to the ryokan and was inside before moving. Shino appeared next to Hinata, and she wordlessly handed over the papers. He would hide them until they were ready to leave.

The next day, the lady's maid treated Hinata in the same manner she'd treat any other maid she'd decided was useful, and in turn Hinata treated her like the guest she was. That did not stop her from drawing a breath of relief when the nobleman's party finally left two days later.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hinata was washing the floor when Naoko trotted by, carrying a pile of towels. It had been three days since the nobleman's party had left, and they were still cleaning up the last traces of their presence. "Fukui-san wants to talk to you, Hana-chan!" She called over her shoulder. "Your cousin's here too."

"Thanks Naoko-chan!" Hinata called back, pushing herself up and collecting her materials. Stowing the bucket and cloths, she made her way to the office, straightening her yukata as she did so. Entering, she knelt next to Shino in front of the table. The ryokan's owner knelt on the other side, looking over a letter.

"You called for me, Fukui-san?"

"That's correct, Hana," the older woman said, looking up. "Your cousin has received an interesting letter." She passed it across the desk.

Hinata scanned it rapidly, taking in the information. The letter had been written by Aki's mythical aunt, saying that she was glad he was out from under his uncle's roof and wanting to know if he would come to live with her. She claimed she could arrange for a job in the warehouse of the merchant she worked for, adding that she could probably help Hana find a job as an afterthought.

"Do-do you want to go to live with your aunt, Aki?" she asked, turning to Shino.

"I'd thought about it, but I decided I should clear it with you first." Shino told her, shrugging.

"She's your mother's only family, Aki."

"And we're sticking together, remember? We had this discussion." He turned to face the ryokan's matron. "If we go, we'd need to make arrangements for Hana's quitting."

The woman smiled, slightly amused. "Why don't you take a half-hour or so to talk it over and get back to me then. If Hana wishes to leave, then I will make the necessary arrangements. Though we would miss her if she went."

"Thank you, Fukui-san," Hinata said, standing and leading Shino to the door. "We will get out of your way."

Hinata led her teammate out to one of the porches of the ryokan where they could talk unmolested. "I take it this is our way out?" she murmured softly, checking for potential eavesdroppers.

Shino nodded. "That is correct. It seemed like the best way to make an exit, as it leaves the personas of Aki and Hana alive in case we need them again."

"Then we will inform Fukui-san that Hana will be leaving her service."

By the end of the week, the two of them were packed up and ready to leave, the reports they'd come for buried in the bottom of Shino's pack. They bid a brief goodbye before they left, Hinata hugging some of the girls from the ryokan while Shino shook hands with Norio and Kazuhiro, before the boys insisted on hugs from 'pretty Hana'. Finally they were able to leave, moving at a civilian's walking pace for the first few miles before changing back into their shinobi gear and taking to the trees. That night they made camp a little bit early and devoted time to getting the fake scars off of Shino, Hinata having stowed her lenses when they first changed.

Two days later, they were checking in at the great gates of Konoha.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"The agent did not request extraction and states that she will be finding a new way to make contact," Shino finished his verbal report, handing over the papers.

"Our alternate identities are still intact, and can be used again if necessary," Hinata added. "We used the excuse of a letter from an aunt to remove ourselves from the mission site. As far as anybody in the village knows, Hana and Aki are on their way to a village near Nami no Kuni."

Tsunade nodded, one hand propping up her chin. "Very good, you two. I'll want your written report in tomorrow, but until then you're dismissed."

Once the door to her office had closed behind the two chuunin, Tsunade spun in her chair, looking out the window behind her desk. "Well?" she asked, knowing full well that her shadows were listening.

"Honestly, Hokage-sama, we have no reason not to induct them at the end of their training period." Ryouken told her. "They have about three weeks until the six months are up, and are both as prepared as we could ask."

"Unless something major happens within the next couple of weeks to change our minds, there'll be two new hunter-nin within a month's time." Jakkaru added.

Tsunade stared out over the village, considering. "Fine. Do me a favor, though, and hold off for another two weeks after the training period ends. That'll give Shino enough time to turn fourteen. They'll both be old enough to live on their own without too many questions then."

Both hunter-nin bowed, and melted away into the shadows.

* * *

A/N: Hope this chapter wasn't too boring. I needed to throw another mission in there before Hinata and Shino got tossed to the wolves (metaphorically speaking, of course). That this one gave them the chance to play with personas was just a bonus.

Next Chapter: The Universal Question


	14. The Universal Question

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness. Language.

* * *

The Universal Question

Birthdays were not days of celebration among the Hyuuga. Thus, the morning of Hinata's fourteenth birthday was quiet. There were small things, however, little bits of recognition – one of the Branch members slipped a cinnamon bun into her breakfast dishes, and Hanabi slid an envelope to her under the table. Later perusal in her room showed the envelope to contain flower seeds. As she was leaving for the day, Neji stopped her and awkwardly offered to train with her.

"I-I'd love to, Neji-niisan, but I promised Shino I'd meet him for training today. Maybe tomorrow?"

"The day after would be better, Hinata-sama. Gai-sensei appears to have something planned for tomorrow."

"Alright niisan. The day after tomorrow."

The pair separated, both a little relieved that the conversation was over. Hinata shook her head as she trotted to the usual training ground, dismissing the exchange for the moment. Shino had beaten her there, and was apparently not alone, if the kunai coming for her head were any indication.

"Happy birthday Sunny!" Anko crowed, bouncing into view. "Here!" A bundle of grey cloth hit Hinata in the face before she had time to duck. Unraveling it revealed a heavy grey belted coat with a deep hood and pockets. "Well? Put it on, I wanna see if it fits!"

Shrugging out of her old coat, Hinata slipped into the new. The sleeves were perhaps a little longer than she might like, but she had no real complaints. Anko pronounced the fit "Perfect! You look more kick-ass." and threw her arm over Hinata's shoulder.

"Thank you, Anko-senpai," Hinata said softly, leaning slightly into the older woman.

"No problem, Sunny," Anko told her, ruffling her hair. "You two have fun now, kohai mine. I've got to report in to Ibiki this morning or I'd play with you some." Dropping her arm from around Hinata, Anko bounced into the trees with a cheery wave – and Hinata's old coat under her arm.

Hinata turned to Shino as Anko bounded away, smiling helplessly. "I probably should have seen that coming, shouldn't I?"

"You should have," Shino agreed, stepping forward and sinking into a taijutsu stance. "Shall we?"

Shino called a halt to their sparring with the advent of lunchtime, and the two of them walked back into the village. They were a few minutes into the residential section when a blur of movement swept by, and with an "Eep!" Hinata found herself thrown over a shoulder and carried off across the rooftops. She began to twist in an attempt to make her kidnapper let go when she recognized the smell of dogs.

"Happy birthday, Hina-chan!" The Inuzuka called.

"Ichirou-kun?"

"Nope! Close though, it's Hiroto."

"Oh. Um, can you set me down, Hiroto-kun?"

"No can do, Hina-chan. I've got my instructions, so just sit tight, 'k?"

Back where Hinata had been standing before she was snatched off the street, Shino was talking to Inuzuka Hana.

"Mom's set everything up at our house. There's plenty of food to go around, and I just stopped by your place to invite your dad," Hana told Shino.

The boy nodded. "I'll see you there then," He said, jumping to the roof and bouncing off at an angle.

Hiroto didn't put Hinata down until they got to Tsume's house. The woman was waiting at the door, arms folded. "Good job, Hiroto." She barked. "Did you have any trouble?"

"Nope. Hina-chan was right where you said she'd be." He said, putting the girl down.

"Good." The next thing Hinata knew, Tsume had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and was leading her inside. "Happy birthday, Hinata."

"A-ah, thank you, Tsume-obasama."

Hinata was told to take a seat in the kitchen and Tsume was loading a plate with food for her when Shino appeared in the doorway, followed by Kurenai.

"Happy birthday Hinata," her sensei said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you sensei," Hinata said, getting up to hug her sensei properly. She threw her teammate a look as he took the chair next to hers. "You set me up," she whispered.

"I admit to nothing."

Shibi arrived a few minutes later, and the motley group proceeded to eat lunch. It was a cheerful affair, as small gifts were placed next to Hinata's plate and the table took turns telling stories and sharing gossip. Shibi demonstrated the same dry sense of humor as his son, reducing the table to helpless laughter more than once.

When Hinata slipped quietly into the Hyuuga compound later that evening, the pockets of her new jacket loaded with presents, she decided it was probably the best birthday she could remember.

Two days later, after a short spar with Neji, Hinata quietly thanked her cousin as he awkwardly wished her a happy birthday, and tried to ignore the fact that her father had yet to say the same. She made a mental note to check how much money she had saved – she was almost positive that she had nearly enough to move out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As was custom, most of the shinobi in the village were given New Years off to spend with their families. For Shino and Hinata, this meant that they were excused from training with the hunter-nin and told to take the day off.

Hinata spent the morning with her family, getting up early to watch the sun rise from the gardens before joining her father and sister for a quiet breakfast. After the meal, she and Hanabi dressed up in formal kimono before visiting a small shrine set on the Hyuuga grounds. Returning to the main house, she peeled herself out of the outer layers and threw a simple yukata over the nagajuban. Quietly picking up some incense, a small brush, and two small packages of mochi from various storerooms and the kitchen, Hinata slipped out of the compound. She would have to return for dinner, as it was one of the few times a year that the entire clan ate together, but she had a couple of hours until then, more than enough time to run the errands she wanted.

Responding politely to the few greetings called out to her as she walked along the roads, Hinata made her way to Kurenai's apartment. Stopping in only long enough to leave one of the packages of mochi, she then crossed the village to the Inuzuka compound, leaving the other for Tsume and Hana.

Finally, Hinata entered the cemetery. Her first stop was at her mother's grave, where she lit one of the cones of incense and swiftly brushed off the stone, before crossing the cemetery to Kiba's grave. Kneeling before it, she noted the smoldering remains of another cone of incense, most likely left by Hana. Lighting her own incense, Hinata sat back on her knees and considered what to tell Kiba.

"It's New Years, Kiba-kun," she began, "though-though I think Hana-san must have told you already." Biting her lip, she considered her words for a moment before moving on. "I went by your house earlier, but she was out and Tsume-obasama was getting dressed so I left a package of mochi and my best wishes with Kuromaru. I-I slipped out of the Hyuuga compound," Hinata lowered her voice, as though one of her clansmen might be close enough to overhear, "but as long as I'm back in time for dinner I think I'll be fine. I've been getting along with N-Neji-niisan a lot better recently – I have! A-anyway, between Neji-niisan and Hanabi-chan I think they might cover for me…maybe."

Hinata paused, closing her eyes and letting the remembered sound of her friend's bark-like laughter ring in the air. Her eyes watered, but she dashed the moisture away before it could accumulate enough to form tears. "I-I'm sorry. It's New Years and here I am being-being silly. Anyway, Kiba-kun, I ran into Asuma-sensei the other day…" Hinata spent the next twenty minutes regaling Kiba's headstone with as many bits of gossip she thought would have interested the boy. Finally, she leaned back, tracking the sun's position in the sky. Sighing, she stood up, brushing the dirt off her knees. "I'm sorry, Kiba-kun, I need to go now." Leaving the cemetery, Hinata walked back to the compound and slipped in via one of the side gates, hurrying back to her room to change into her holiday finery before dinner. The only indication that anyone had noticed her absence was the gentle pat on the arm Neji hesitantly gave her on the way to dinner.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Like Hinata, Shino had been up early, spending the morning with his father. After breakfast, the two left their house and went walking down the road, stopping in at the houses of aunts, uncles, and cousins to exchange wishes for a happy new year. Much of the Aburame was out in force, greeting each other softly as they passed in the street on the way to visit various relatives. Familial duty done, Shino changed out of the formal robes he'd been wearing and into the clothes he wore for training before quietly slipping away to the Memorial Stone.

Despite the fact that it was not yet noon, the Stone had obviously been a popular destination. Smudges of incense encircled the base, along with drifts of flowers and a few slips of paper. Kneeling in front of Kiba's name, Shino sat for a few minutes collecting his thoughts before looking up at his friend's name. _I cannot believe it has been almost a year_, he began suddenly. _Remember last year, when we all had tea at Kurenai-sensei's the day after New Years and talked about what we wanted to do in the upcoming year? Our biggest concern was who the new Hokage would be and if we'd be allowed to test for chuunin at the next exam._ He shook his head. _It seems so hard to believe that it's been a year since then; so much has happened that it feels like far longer._ Sighing slightly, Shino pushed his glasses up his nose. _It's almost insane. A year ago I'd have been happy to make chuunin within a year or two. Now…now I am chuunin and looking to become hunter-nin in about a month, if they meant it when they said six months._

Shino spent a few minutes sitting silently, remembering, then rolled into a crouch, leaning in to glare at the characters of Kiba's name. _Listen to me, you mutts – and yes, Akamaru, I am talking to both of you. All the stuff that's happened to Hinata and I in the past eleven months? Everything from getting to know Anko-senpai to our promotions to the hunter-nin? Know this: I would cheerfully trade every fucking moment of it if it meant we got you back._ Pushing himself to his feet, Shino jumped off into the trees, looking for a quiet spot to compose himself before he returned to his clan's houses.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A few days after the New Year's celebrations, Hinata, Shino, and Anko found themselves sitting on the ground in their usual training spot. They'd spent an hour discussing poisons and antidotes, and were trying to work up the energy to go get lunch.

"Why do you want to do this?" Anko asked suddenly. "I mean, I know it's because of Kiba an' Uchiha Sasuke, but you could've chosen another path. You've got what it takes to make jounin in a year if y'wanted."

"It's…complicated, senpai." Hinata sighed, drawing her knees up to her chin.

"Uchiha was irritating," Shino said suddenly. "He had the admiration of the village, all that he could ask for, yet he was standoffish at best and downright rude at worst. He expected to be treated like royalty, but never seemed to show any signs that he was going to assume the responsibilities that came with his position."

"After the massacre, the Uchiha Clan existed on the sufferance of the village," Hinata continued, voice soft. "The clan was reduced to a single underage survivor – it wouldn't have taken much for the village to absorb the excess properties and strip clan privileges, leaving Sasuke as the equivalent of, say, Hatake Kakashi-sensei. The single survivor of a family that has produced loyal shinobi. I remember hearing Father talk about it."

Shino nodded, taking back the thread of conversation. "Not only are clans responsible to the village, but once we put on these," he lifted a hand to his hitae-ate, "we become the property of Konoha. Uchiha was then doubly responsible to the village, but he decided to shirk his responsibilities in favor of studying under another traitor in hopes of committing fratricide. That kind of behavior is inexcusable, and had the sharingan been any less valuable the first team would not have been under orders to bring him back alive."

Anko nodded slightly. "Alright. I get where you're coming from with Uchiha, but where exactly does Kiba factor in?"

A slightly awkward silence followed, which Hinata broke. "I – I didn't have many friends at the Academy. A-And there aren't many friends within Clan Hyuuga."

"Kiba and Hinata were my first friends who were not Aburame," Shino said bluntly.

"So not only did Uchiha misbehave, but because of that you lost someone real important to you." Anko said, nodding slowly. "That still doesn't explain the hunter-nin."

"It was…bad…what happened to us," Hinata whispered, hunching her shoulders. "It-it shouldn't happen to anybody else."

"Konoha has a shortage of hunter-nin. It's been fourteen years since the Kyuubi attacked, and ANBU still haven't regained the numbers they had before the attack, especially in the hunter-nin and medical support squads. I've seen the numbers, I know." Shino said. Both girls had the decency to ignore the brittle tone of his voice. "If there had been even one extra hunter-nin, then maybe there would have been someone with real experience chasing down traitors on that team. Maybe our classmates wouldn't have had to go at all."

_Maybe Kiba would still be alive._

"Huh." Anko mulled that over a bit. "So that's your goal, then. You want to see Uchiha Sasuke punished for betraying th' village, and you want to help up the hunter-nin's numbers so that next time some idiot gets the smart idea of turning traitor their teammates an' friends don't have to go after them."

Shino and Hinata blinked slightly. That was the longest sentence they'd ever heard Anko say in a serious tone of voice.

"Well," Anko mused, leaning back to look up at the sky, "there are worse reasons to take the mask an' mark. Just…keep that in mind, 'k? It's not an easy road, and…people change." She dropped her head back down and stared at them, face completely serious. "I'd hate to see th' two of you damaged by it."

"Thank you, Anko-senpai." Hinata said softly.

Two hours later, Morino Ibiki sat in a bare interview room with Ryouken, Jakkaru, and Anko, listening to the recording Anko had made of the conversation. There was a moment of silence as the recording came to an end.

"Well," the gigantic interrogator sighed, "I've heard worse reasons for joining ANBU. I withdraw that part of my objections." He leveled a glare at the two masked nin across the table. "But I still want them back here before long. If you're going to deploy two fourteen-year-olds, then so help me they'll be capable of facing my opposite numbers."

The two men bowed their heads. "But of course, Morino-san," Ryouken said, a smile audible in his voice.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"You wanted to see me, Gaara?" Temari asked, pushing open the door to the Kazekage's office.

Gaara nodded, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. "Come in Temari." Once Temari had leaned her fan against the back of the chair and sat down, Gaara continued. "Given the nature of our treaty with Konoha, there are a large number of issues that need to be re-negotiated. I have selected Goza to handle the more economic negotiations, but I wish to send you along as well."

Temari tipped her head to one side as she thought about that. Goza was a former jounin who had been too badly injured to continue active service a few years before the attempted invasion. After he'd recovered enough to leave the hospital, he'd parlayed his experience in the field and instinctive understanding of mathematics into a position in the Supply office, ensuring that everything from the Hospital to the Academy to the specialty squads had sufficient supplies. His main fault was his pride in Suna, as he had a tendency to take it a little too far. "I assume you'd want me to handle the more military side of things?"

"Goza is talented enough in matters of commerce, but he has been out of the field too long." Gaara pushed a scroll across the desk. "Shinobi exchange, protocol for missions along the border, and so on would be more or less your responsibility as required."

Temari slowly picked up the scroll and unrolled it. It was a combination of a letter of introduction and her credentials, authorizing her to act in the Kazekage's name. "I assume you'd want us to bring any proposed changes back to you before they get signed off on?" When Gaara nodded, she rolled the scroll back up. "I do have a request to make. The Hokage's probably going to assign us guides while we're in the village – can we request specific shinobi?"

Gaara gave her a mildly quizzical look. "You had someone in mind?"

"Three, actually." Temari tapped the scroll against her palm. "Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata."

After a moment of thought, Gaara nodded. "Acceptable choices. I will include them in my message to the Hokage." He gestured slightly at the door, a dismissal.

Temari had gotten as far as the door before she turned around. "Oh, wait. When exactly are we going?"

"The arrangements should be finalized in two weeks, so you will be leaving then. Expect to be gone for about a week."

Temari nodded. "Alright. When is the next messenger leaving for Konoha?"

"Later this afternoon, why?"

"Just wanted to slip a note into the bag."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A week and a half before Shino's birthday, Jakkaru and Ryouken sat down with the two trainees. "There is one thing we have to talk about." Ryouken told them calmly. "And it's attitude."

Shino and Hinata glanced at each other, worried and more than a little puzzled. Nobody had said anything about their attitude being a problem before…

"Most members of the force," Ryouken went on, "need a way to keep their ANBU life separate from their home life. They compartmentalize, leaving their codenames and their secret lives behind when the mask comes off. Needless to say," he added dryly, "they tend to be the more stable operatives."

"One way to do that," Jakkaru piped up, "is to create a separate identity, a pseudo-split personality. I knew this one ANBU medic who swapped between two personas – his masked self was calmer and quieter than his unmasked self, and he referred to them as two separate people. We're not saying you have to do that, of course," he said quickly, "but it's one of the more successful mechanisms."

"It also helps keep your ANBU identity from being connected with your regular identity." Ryouken said. "For example, a particularly aggressive ANBU's not likely to be associated with a calm, retiring personality."

"So you are suggesting that we find a way to differentiate between our two identities?" Shino asked.

"That's right. And we're not going to tell you how to do it. What we are going to tell you is that it would be a bad idea for your masked self to be obviously the same person as your unmasked. Your identity is safer if people can't make the connection." Ryouken pushed away from the tree he was leaning on and stood. "Take some time to think about it. When I see you next, I expect to see two members of Konoha's masked forces."

"If you need some help or ideas, you can ask me or Anko-san," Jakkaru added. "You know how to find us."

The hunter-nin bounded away into the trees, leaving the two chuunin to think it over.

"It seems simple enough," Shino said slowly after a moment of silence, "but at the same time, it could get horrendously complicated. Maintaining a civilian's identity in an infiltration mission is difficult enough, but maintaining two shinobi identities? And in the heart of a shinobi village?"

Hinata nodded slowly. "But – but we're not exactly maintaining two identities, are we? I mean," she continued hurriedly, "when I look at an ANBU, what I see is the mask. If-if we use that…in general, people don't look behind the mask, unless the ANBU does something strange. Stranger than usual, I mean." She amended at Shino's raised eyebrow.

"I see your point." Shino mused. "Keep people focused on the mask and they forget the minor details."

Hinata nodded, smiling a little. "But," the girl added, "Anko-senpai would smack us if we forgot her first rule of plots."

"The more explosive the better?" Shino asked, smirking. He ducked as Hinata swatted at him.

"Keep it simple." They recited in unison, fond amusement in their voices. The words had been repeated at them so many times that they'd become rote.

"So that means…we exaggerate familial traits?" Hinata asked, looking up at the sky. "The reserve, the reluctance to socialize and obsession with perfection, all of it?"

"It sounds like as good a plan as any." Shino leaned back into the tree. "Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino are already known to have withdrawn from their age group since the death of their teammate." His voice was clinically dry. Hinata reached over and squeezed his hand gently – it wasn't any easier for her either.

"So," the boy continued, straightening his glasses with his free hand, "we can use that. Hinata and Shino can remain cool and reserved. We tell people that we're taking long-term outside missions, and that our specialties are infiltration and espionage. In this way, if anyone presses for details, we can refuse to answer. As an added bonus, the cover story would be mostly true."

Tilting her head to one side, Hinata considered the issue. "We would then relax the traditional mannerisms when wearing the mask?"

Shino shrugged. "When behind the mask, the only name we must uphold is Konoha's."

Hinata nodded slowly. "That is true." She sighed, bringing her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them. "So…so I guess that's what we'll do. The more we act like the average Konoha-nin, the less likely we'll be recognized."

Shino snorted softly at the words 'average Konoha-nin', but said nothing. The point was a valid one.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Unlike Shino, Hinata did not think she could successfully orchestrate her teammate's kidnapping. Shino was better at escaping a captor than she was, in part because he was more likely to counterattack first and ask questions later, and she had no desire to start a fight. So instead of a kidnapping, she planned an ambush. One day, when Shino was busy with the hives, she went and found Tsume and Hana and presented her request. Two days later, when Anko was distracting Shino (thanks to a judiciously presented stick of dango) while she was working in her lab, she slipped away from her bench for a few minutes to speak with Shibi.

Shino's birthday dawned rainy, which meant that their usual training exercises were cut short. Hinata had been sure to pick a training field close to Shino's house, and when they reached the door she simply followed him inside. Anko grabbed him the minute he closed the door behind them.

"Shino-kohai! Happy birthday!"

Shino looked over Anko's shoulder at Tsume and Hana, both grinning, at Kurenai, who stood smiling softly next to a table loaded with food, and at his father, who was standing along the far wall, looking quietly amused.

"This is revenge for your birthday, isn't it," he murmured to Hinata as he was led to the table. Anko had been convinced to let go of him and was standing next to Hana, muttering something into the younger woman's ear that had her smiling in a way that made Shino faintly concerned.

Less than a year ago, Hinata would have flushed bright red and started stammering an excuse or apology. Instead, she favored her teammate with a sweet smile, and said nothing, simply patting him on the arm.

Shino's birthday passed much the same way as Hinata's had, with people taking turns to tell stories and jokes as they ate. Anko and Hana went out of their way to tease Shino, apparently trying to see who could get the biggest reaction out of him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next day, the pair were summoned into the Hokage's office. Tsunade, looking entirely too amused, handed them a letter. "This arrived from Suna."

Hinata opened the letter and began to read, Shino following along over her shoulder.

_Hinata-san and Shino-san,_

_ Gaara's sending me to Konoha at the end of the month to handle some business. I should be there for about a week. If you're in the village, we should get together – you owe me a tour, as I recall._

_ Temari_

The two chuunin looked back up at their Kage. "Temari-san is one of a pair of shinobi being sent to Konoha for trade negotiations," she explained. "You two and Nara Shikamaru were requested to act as guides for them while they're here." She smiled. "Unless something comes up, I don't see why you shouldn't be given the assignment."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A week after Shino's birthday, Ryouken was waiting for the two of them at their usual training spot. "This is your last chance to decide if you want to take the mask or not." The man told them, dispensing with the usual pleasantries. "The lives of Konoha's masked operatives tend to be short, violent, and messy, and I'm not just talking about the Black-Ops. Only about half of our hunter-nin are still active four years after taking the mask. The rest crack up, are discharged due to injury, or are killed in the line of duty. You will spend weeks, even months at a time away from the village, playing multiple roles. You will become more familiar with the dark sides of humanity than you ever wanted to be."

There was a moment of silence. Neither of the teens spoke, preferring to watch the hunter-nin steadily.

"If you feel like you cannot do this," Ryouken said softly, "then tell me now. I'll go to Hokage-sama, tell her you won't be joining the force and recommend she fast track you to tobuketsu jounin. At the rate you've been working, you could make it within six months. At least that way we'll have capable trackers and hunters in the field, even if they aren't ours."

The pair exchanged a glance, before turning back to Ryouken. "We chose this path, and we wish to continue on it." Shino said, pausing for a moment before he added "Taicho".

Ryouken bowed his head. "So be it. Report to the tower at 0800 tomorrow." Turning, he leapt away into the trees, and was gone.

When they reported in, Ibiki met them there. Jakkaru briefly explained that the interrogation specialist was 'going to teach them a few tricks' before handing them over to the other man with a cheerful "return them when you're done with them, Ibiki-san!"

The bearlike jounin favored the two chuunin with a grim smile. "Let's get going,' he said, shepherding them to a nearby door. "We've got a lot to do today."

Unlike their last visit to T&I's domain, this one was fairly peaceful. Ibiki spent about an hour walking the two of them through ways shinobi commonly forced other shinobi to talk, then, once they were suitably nauseated, spent another two hours describing the basics of resistance. Finally, he assigned them homework.

"I understand that Jakkaru's already walked you through persona work. Well, in some ways this is similar. I want you to regularly start working on ways to resist the most common methods of breaking a shinobi. Build up drug resistances. Meditate. If you're in the village for more than a week, start working on increasing your pain tolerance. You'll report to the department on a regular basis for evaluation." He eyed the chuunin sitting across the desk from him. "If your evaluation shows that you can't take the stress of being ANBU, then you'll be either removed from active duty until you can or flat-out decommissioned. Anko's already your senpai – from now on, she's also your contact in my department. She can help you with any minor problems you might have."

After the visit with Ibiki, Jakkaru led Shino and Hinata, not to the building's exit as anticipated, but to a conference room. There they were presented with the files they had begun months before, along with a new pile of forms to fill out. Contact and emergency contact information had to be updated, as did financial, so that stipends and mission payments could be deposited correctly. The basic living will had to be revised in favor of a more formal one. There were pages and pages of small text, covering every situation Hinata and Shino had ever heard of, and some they hadn't.

Finally, they were taken into the Hokage's office. Tsunade received their files with businesslike seriousness, and then walked them once more through the more politically important papers. "I want to make it perfectly clear that I intend to use your talents for everything the village can get," she told them. "You're good trackers, but thanks to your clans you know how to act with politicians. Add in the way you impressed Suna, and don't be surprised if I send you off to play Ambassador at some point."

The discussion went on for nearly an hour as the last details were hashed out. Ibiki's signature had been the last needed to approve the pair for initiation, and with that out of the way the hunter-nin's numbers could go up by two.

"One last thing." The Hokage pulled a final set of papers from the bottom of the stack. "You are both underage, and because of that it's policy to offer you the opportunity to emancipate yourselves upon taking the mask and mark." Shino stiffened slightly, while Hinata sucked in a breath. "In your case, Shino, I can't see your family causing a conflict in your duties. Now as for Hinata," The older woman looked at the girl across from her, amber-gold eyes locking with white. "It might not be a bad idea. It'd offer you protection from the Hyuuga Elders, and more specifically from the Seal."

Hinata's breath caught. Despite everything, despite the neglect she'd suffered at her father's hands and outright abuse at Neji's, she loved her family. She admired both her father and cousin and absolutely adored her little sister. Despite the open hostility and disdain the Clan Elders displayed for her, she respected them. But…while things had been improving slightly since that first Chuunin Exam, and again since she had made chuunin herself, she was still uncomfortable at home.

If she signed the papers, it got her away from the clan politics and out of an environment where she had more often than not felt unwelcome. It would also probably alienate her from her entire clan.

Something of her distress must have communicated itself in her face, because the Hokage's expression softened slightly. "How's this sound," Tsunade said gently. "We get the papers filled out, and I'll hold on to them in reserve. The minute anybody tries anything fishy, I can file them and get you out of there."

Hinata nodded slowly.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As he looked over the last of the paperwork that would render Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino full members of the Hunter-nin, Ryouken had to wonder if ANBU as a whole wasn't a little too fond of riddling implications. The protocol for assigning codenames was long-established, particularly in the Black-Ops and Hunter-nin, who almost invariably went masked. The name was chosen to reflect, not only their primary trainer, but an important facet of their life or techniques. An ANBU with sufficient experience could gain a little information about another from the name, which made briefings easier.

As Jakkaru had been the one who sponsored them, they would be canines. As they were to be deployed almost purely as a pair, they would share a name, a secondary characteristic used to differentiate between them. Kitsune and Ookami were names reserved for the Black-Ops, and the Hunters already had a Jakkaru, Ryouken, and Teria, but…Reaching for a list of personnel by code name, Ryouken scanned it quickly, trying to figure out what names were available.

Behind his mask, an eyebrow went up. A Black-Op had been decommissioned less than two weeks previously due to injury, leaving his name – the perfect name – available. That was a little…surreal. Ryouken spent a further fifteen minutes thinking it over before filling in the codenames.

Maybe with this, the ghost of their teammate might loosen its grip.

* * *

A/N: I'm half back!

Sorry, let me elaborate – my laptop's in the shop with a malfunctioning screen, so I'm coming into work after-hours and borrowing the extra computer to write. Ideally I'll get the thing back within a couple of weeks, but I've also gotten sucked into a fanfiction challenge and I have two stories (One from the Young Wizards fandom, another a Young Wizards/Doctor Who crossover) due by July 14th, so this story's going on a back-burner until I get those done.

Many, many thanks to those who patiently stuck by me during the months of writers block I had for this fic, and especially to those who reviewed. Finding the occasional review in my inbox kept me jotting down ideas for this tale and hammering away at the block.

Next Chapter: We Wear the Mask


	15. We Wear the Mask

Venatori

Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.

**The Laughing Phoenix** does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.

WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness. Language.

* * *

We Wear the Mask

When Temari and Goza, accompanied by a pair of Suna chuunin, appeared at the gates of Konoha they were cheerfully greeted by the chuunin on gate duty and asked to wait briefly for an escort. Less than five minutes later Temari straightened, pushing away from the wall at the sight of an approaching pair of shinobi. "Hey, Hinata-san, Shino-san! Are you our escort?"

"That is correct, Temari-san," Shino said, bowing slightly, then turned to the rest of the Suna-nin. "I am Aburame Shino, and my companion is Hyuuga Hinata. If you will come with us?"

Temari paced next to Hinata as they entered the village proper, letting the rest of her party trail behind with Shino. "So, are you two going to be our escorts for the whole week?"

Hinata shook her head. "The first few days only, Temari-san. We have a mission coming up. I believe Nara Shikamaru will be taking over as your escort then." She shot Temari a sideways glance. "I believe there was something about a game of shogi?"

Temari fought back the urge to flush. "Well, you guys owe me a tour before you leave."

"But of course, Temari-san," Hinata nodded. "Perhaps-perhaps this afternoon?"

"Sounds good to me." By this time the group was passing by one of the larger markets, and the increased traffic forced them to slow their pace. Hinata took advantage of the delay by pointing out landmarks, from the Hokage's Tower and the great faces on the Monument to restaurants and tea shops. Shino walked quietly, largely content to let Hinata handle the talking, though he did occasionally add a sentence here and there to embellish her descriptions.

Hinata's tentative tour was interrupted by a cry of "Shi-niisan!" as a small bundle of energy came crashing into Shino's legs. To his credit, Shino didn't miss a beat, reaching down to steady the child before scooping him up in his arms. Temari and the other Suna-nin watched in mild amusement as the little boy squirmed a bit in Shino's arms before settling and turning to look at the rest of the group. Instantly recognizable were the fang markings on the boy's face. "Hi Hina-neesan!" he chirped, waving at the girl.

"Hello Kosuke-kun," Hinata said softly, smiling. "How are you today?"

"I'm good!" The child, who as far as Temari could tell couldn't be more than five, suddenly seemed to notice the watching Suna-nin and shrunk back into Shino shyly.

"Kosuke," Shino turned the little boy until he was facing him again. "What are you doing over here? Were you with somebody?"

"Mhmm!" Kosuke nodded emphatically. "Me an' Kaa-san are shopping!"

"I see. And where is your Kaa-san now?"

Kosuke shrugged, supremely unconcerned. "She was looking at some veggibles or somfing, I dunno."

"Kosuke-kun," Hinata scolded gently, "did you remember to tell your Kaa-san you were coming to us?" When the little boy shook his head and buried his face into Shino's shoulder, Hinata sighed, then turned to the Suna-nin. "If you would excuse me for a moment?" At their nods, she bounced up a nearby fence to stand on the top, searching the crowd for Kosuke's mother.

As it happened, she found them first. "Kosuke! What have I told you about running off like that? Thanks for grabbing the little rascal, Shino-kun."

"It was no trouble, Shizuka-san," Shino gently set the boy down and nudged him back towards his mother, Hinata dropping down the fence to stand at his shoulder.

"All the same," Shizuka sighed, shifting her shopping to one arm to free up a hand so she could take her son's, "I'll be glad when Hoshi's back on her feet again."

"Is she alright?" Hinata asked, frowning. "Last I'd heard she was healing well…"

Shizuka shook her head. "Pulled her stitches, she did, and Hana's got her confined to the kennels until it heals up. Though," she grinned at the younger girl, "if you've got any extra jars of that all-purpose ointment running around, I'll take some off your hands."

Hinata nodded. "I'll see what I can do, Shizuka-san. Perhaps tomorrow?"

"Of course, of course, I can see you're busy." She nodded briefly in the direction of the Suna-nin. "Kosuke, say goodbye to Hinata-neesan and Shino-niisan, it's time to go."

"Bye Hina-neesan, bye Shi-niisan!" Kosuke called, waving as the two chuunin began leading the Suna-nin on towards the tower.

"Goodbye Kosuke-kun," Hinata said, while Shino waved. They turned back to their charges to find Temari grinning at them.

"Cute kid. That happen often?"

"Of-often enough, Temari-san," Hinata said hesitantly. "We d-don't get to play with the little ones as often as they might like."

"Still, you must hang out with him a lot if he calls you two 'neesan' and 'niisan'," one of the Suna chuunin pointed out.

"We were invited to become clan-kin to the Inuzuka about seven months ago." Shino's voice was almost disturbingly matter-of-fact. "Legally speaking, the head of the Inuzuka clan is our aunt."

Temari began mentally debating the best way to metaphorically eviscerate the hapless chuunin, but was forced to table the issue by the group's arrival at the Hokage Tower. Shino and Hinata led the group inside and to the Hokage's office, handling the beginnings of the introductions before quietly stepping back to stand by the wall. The standard pleasantries were exchanged, introductions made, and a few scrolls from the Kazekage were presented – credentials and messages.

Once the basic business had been concluded, Temari, Goza, and Tsunade hammered out a schedule for the negotiations. They decided to begin the next morning, taking the rest of the afternoon for the two Suna shinobi to rest from the journey and settle in to their rooms. Hinata and Shino were called forward, and the little group left, the two Konoha chuunin leading the Suna-nin to a suite of rooms in a building across the square that was reserved for diplomatic guests.

Most of the Suna-nin chose to remain in their rooms for a few hours to clean up and catch up on sleep. Temari's idea of 'settling in' seemed to be dumping her bag on her bed and walking right back out the door. "Come on, let's go while we can."

Exchanging amused looks, Hinata and Shino followed her back out of the building and into the square. "Well?" Temari asked, hands on her hips. "Where to first?"

"You have been to Konoha before, Temari-san." Shino pointed out dryly.

"Yeah, but that was for the Chuunin Exam," Temari waved dismissively. "I want an insider's perspective. Where the best restaurants and shops are and all that."

"Well, if you want to get a small afternoon snack," Hinata began, "there's a small café nearby that does good dango…"

With that, they were off, Temari following the duo as they first went for the dango, and then to a number of other notable locations: a weapons shop, a couple of teahouses, some restaurants, and a few shops selling odds and ends – clothing and food, mostly, although the Yamanaka flower shop made it into the tour as well.

A few hours later, they were back at the suite, collecting the rest of the Suna-nin and leading them to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

The next day, Shino and Hinata began a routine that would be repeated daily over the course of their turn escorting the Suna-nin. They would appear outside the suite bright and early, take them for a light breakfast, and then lead Goza and Temari to the Hokage tower. The Suna chuunin would then be taken to a training ground or walk around the village, and they would pass the time until mid-afternoon, stopping to eat a brief lunch. Goza and Temari had working lunches with Tsunade. Afterward, they would meet the Sunan negotiators at the tower, escort them back to the suite or wherever they wanted to go for another few hours, before taking them for dinner.

Temari usually opted for an afternoon wander with Hinata and Shino, and over the course of four days the three became more friendly, to the point where Temari dropped the '-san' in favor of '-chan' or '-kun', although she kept having difficulty persuading them to do the same.

When the group congregated at the suites before dinner on the fourth day, they were met by a slouching Nara Shikamaru leaning against the hall wall. "Good afternoon, Shikamaru-san." Hinata said.

"Hey Hinata-san, Shino-san." The lazy genius pushed himself fully vertical. "Shall we?"

Nodding, Shino turned to the group of Suna-nin at large. "This is Nara Shikamaru-san. He will be taking over as your escort for the remainder of your time in Konoha."

"Nice to meet you," Shikamaru said, hands in pockets. "Shall we go for dinner?"

Hinata and Shino trailed along with the Suna-nin, but they let Shikamaru choose the location and began directing any questions the Suna-nin had to him, making it as clear as they could that Shikamaru was the person to address now.

When the group finally returned to the Suna contingent's suite for the night, Hinata and Shino bowed to the visiting shinobi. "It has been a pleasure escorting you," Shino said, straightening and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"W-we hope you en-enjoy the rest of your stay in Konoha," Hinata went on, "and that you may travel safely back to your home."

Most of the Suna-nin bowed back and responded with the appropriate pleasantries. Temari, however, trotted to her room. "Wait a minute!" she called back over her shoulder. She was back in moments, two scrolls in her hands. "I knew I forgot something," she said, handing them the scrolls. "Letters from Kankuro. Gaara also told me to extend an invitation to visit any time you're in the area."

"That is very kind," Shino murmured.

"If you would extend our thanks to Kazekage-sama upon your return, Temari-san, we would be most grateful." Hinata told the older girl. "It is likely that you will reach him before a letter from us does."

"You headed out on a mission?"

"We leave tonight," Shino said calmly, slipping the scrolls into a pocket of his coat. "We have just enough time to collect our packs, and then we must be off."

"Good luck, then. I'll see you later, both of you."

With a last nod from Shino and shy smile from Hinata, the two were gone. Sighing slightly, Temari turned to Shikamaru. "Oi, Lazy. Shogi tomorrow, you and me."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, visibly fighting down the urge to mutter 'troublesome', but nodded agreement.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

_Hinata-san and Shino-san,_

_ You'll be happy to hear that things quieted down on the border after you left. As far as I can tell, that team was the only one in the area. Nobody seems to have any idea what our guest was talking about when he went on about his god, though, so keep your eyes open._

_ Things have been going well here. Temari and I have been assigned a stretch at the Academy for any students looking to specialize. It's pretty boring compared to being on missions outside the village, but you can't have everything, right? Some of the kids are really small, absolutely tiny, and I've got a hard time believing they'll ever be able to handle the weapons they try to pick up. Temari laughed at me when I said as much, and Gaara, being Gaara, just sort of stared._

_ In more interesting news, we're supposed to start getting caravans from Nami no Kuni now that the bridge has opened things up a bit. It's been decades since the last one, and a lot of the people here are really excited – most of us have never been anywhere wetter than Konoha, so all the old stories about sea-goers have been pulled out and are being told all over the place. Sea monsters, people with fins instead of feet, and so on. One of the older shinobi was telling a bunch of kids how the people of Nami no Kuni learn to swim before they can walk and any child who doesn't learn fast enough is fed to sharks. I think the kids half-expect the merchants to look like some sort of fish-people now._

_ Gotta go – I'm technically on my lunch break right now, and the kids are getting anxious to get back to the weapons tables._

_-Kankuro_

_ Hinata-san and Shino-san,_

_ Turns out I didn't get to send the earlier letter off with the messenger bags at all – I got sent out on a mission pretty suddenly, and didn't have time to drop it off before I went. By the time we got back, I'd forgotten it was on the table in my room until I found it this morning. So…you get two letters for the price of one, I guess._

_ The mission went pretty smoothly, no major injuries or anything. Then we found out that the bastard who hired us was attempting to pay us with funds he'd gotten by blatant fraud. Gaara wasn't impressed. Neither was Temari, come to that. Since Gaara wants us on hand in case he needs us until this is all sorted out, I'm back at the Academy again. At this point I'm starting to wonder if I should just look into teaching here. On the one hand it wouldn't be so bad – I'd have a chance to develop my puppets more, and, you know, collect some minions. On the other, some of these kids are more trouble than they're worth. One of them nearly set his classmates on fire the other day. Nobody seems to know how he did it, but he's not allowed to try jutsu without supervision anymore._

_ Still, the whole thing wasn't a total loss. I got a chance to test a couple of new upgrades I'd put in, and I now know that Karasu needs some more fire retardants worked in to the new joints. (Don't ask. The whole thing was nuts and it took Gaara smothering the flames with his sand to put the fire out in the end.)_

_ Next time you're in the area, send me a note so we can meet up for dinner. It's always fun to see you Konoha-nin, and the opportunity to talk shop with someone who's actually interested is always a bonus. Neither Temari nor Gaara is remotely interested in poisons, sadly. _

_-Kankuro_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jakkaru met Hinata and Shino at their usual training ground. Waiting just long enough for them to have noticed him, he flashed them the hand signal for 'follow' and took off through the darkening forest. The chuunin followed, bounding from tree to tree behind him. As he led them to HQ, taking a roundabout route that avoided both any shinobi doing late-night training and the usual patrols, Jakkaru glanced back at his erstwhile students and smiled tightly.

Every indication showed that they were ready. There was no earthly reason why these two might not become strong, powerful hunter-nin, credits to their village and their teachers. There are no fools in the hunter-nin however, as they tend not to survive, and Jakkaru knew full well that the future was always uncertain. Anything could happen from here on out – they could be killed or crippled on a mission, or crack up under the strain. They might not even make it through their first year. But Jakkaru was an optimist, and chose to believe that in the two chuunin following him were some of the best hunter-nin Konoha had ever produced.

One day it might even be true.

Shaking his head a little, Jakkaru brushed the question of their future success or failure from his mind. They had to be inducted first. Finding the entrance he'd been leading them towards, he undid the lock, briefly confirmed his identity with the guard, and waved his two puppies inside.

The ANBU mark came first. Hinata and Shino were led into two separate rooms, stripped to the waist, and seals painted across their torsos, centering on their upper arms – the left for Shino, the right for Hinata. A pair of ANBU knelt at either side, moving as one to finish the seals, which writhed silently across their bodies before condensing into the familiar stylized swirling leaf. When they were done, they were given the standard sleeveless top of the ANBU and led back out into the same room. Jakkaru quickly examined the marks and, having decided they were complete, led the pair down the hall to another room. They both shuddered slightly as they passed a seal barrier.

"The mark's your key," Jakkaru muttered as he opened the door to a room full of uniforms. "It'll get you into just about anywhere under ANBU seals, and it'll only show when you're within the seal barriers. When you're out in the field it'll remain hidden unless you deliberately channel chakra to it – I'll show you the trick to that later."

He presented the two to another silent ANBU, and waited while they were outfitted with the standard hunter-nin uniform: the dark brown singlet with hood, the armored chest plate, dark gray gi-like long-sleeved shirts and pants with the wide leather belt, black boots, and the heavy green hooded coat with thin mail sewn into it underneath the lining. The pale cloak all ANBU were issued was tucked into the top of the lightweight packs he handed them. The most basic rolls of surgical tools and bandoliers of poisons and drugs they were given would be improved later, as they customized their uniforms to meet their personal specifications. Jakkaru kept them with the basics, pointing out the specialized equipment but leaving it on the shelves – if they needed something specific for a hunt, they could always come requisition it before they left the village.

Finally, Jakkaru led them down another hall to a room where Ryouken waited, kneeling on the cement floor, two cloth-wrapped bundles in front of him. Stepping to the side, the younger man waved his charges forward before moving to take up a position along the wall.

Kneeling side by side across from Ryouken, Hinata and Shino accepted the cloth-wrapped masks he held out to them. "It is my very great pleasure," Ryouken said, "to name you to the force." He gestured to the masks, and the two chuunin carefully unwrapped them, coming face-to-face with their new identities.

The masks were the standard bone-white, the slightly angled eyes lined in black and the Konoha leaf on the forehead. Thinner black lines traced out stylized shadows from the outer corners of the eyes. The only recognizable difference was that the black marks were thicker on Shino's mask.

Ryouken turned to face Hinata. "Hyuuga Hinata. In putting on this mask, you swear yourself to the service of your Hokage. To hunt, fight, and kill on their orders, over any others you may receive. To be loyal to them and the village of Konoha over previous alliances. Do you so swear?"

Hinata nodded. "I do."

"Then put on your mask, Inu-Shiroi, and welcome to the hunter-nin." Ryouken turned to Shino as she did so. "Aburame Shino. In putting on this mask, you swear yourself to the service of your Hokage. To hunt, fight, and kill on their orders, over any others you may receive. To be loyal to them and the village of Konoha over previous alliances. Do you so swear?"

"I do."

"Then put on your mask, Inu-Kuroi, and welcome to the hunter-nin."

Shino did as he was told. It was four masked hunter-nin who left the room five minutes later, the seniors leading the new inductees to be presented to their Hokage.

"I have something for you two," Tsunade told Kuroi and Shiroi once they'd made their bows and she'd formally welcomed them to the ANBU Hunter-nin. Lifting two scrolls from her desk, she held them out to the pair. "The red seal is your first mission. The black," she smiled slightly, "is Order 66, a long-term semi-active mission to be put in your file. Any time Uchiha Sasuke surfaces, you will be the team contacted. At the moment, it costs us nothing to ignore the traitor, so there isn't anybody hunting him. When your captain deems you ready, he can activate Order 66 at his prerogative – once he does, it will be your priority. You will be the ones in charge of bringing in the youngest Uchiha."

The Inu bowed slightly, more than a little startled by the declaration. To have this kind of mission handed to them…neither one was sure if it was a commendation of their ability or not. Of more immediate interest, however, was the mission with the red seal, and they put Order 66 out of their minds for later consideration.

The briefing was quick and straightforward. The mission was a fairly simple one, the classic hunter mission. Their target was a rouge who appeared to have defected from Oto, preferring to appear in villages just on the Hi no Kuni side of the border and terrorize the civilian populace instead. Shiroi and Kuroi's job was to stop his rampage in a way that made it look like an accident.

Bowing to the Hokage one last time, they followed their commanders out the window and across the quiet village rooftops, headed back to ANBU headquarters. It took the pair only a quarter of an hour to finish selecting the gear they would need and ready their packs, and before long the four hunter-nin were bounding back across the sleeping village in the direction of the gates. The two senior operatives halted just inside the wall, watching as the newly-named pair took off into the night.

* * *

A/N:

Thus concludes what my notes call the first volume of Venatori. Two more are planned, and will be posted as part of this same story. Chapters 16 and 17 are currently being written.

This being said, I'm placing Venatori on (hopefully) brief hiatus. I know where I want to go and have a pretty good idea of some of the landmarks along the way, but much of the rest of it is missing. At the moment my other commitments are making life hectic (namely graduating college and finding a job) and my Naruto muse is being bash-your-head-against-a-brick-wall difficult, so I'm going to take some time off from actively writing Venatori to get my thoughts in order and plot out the missing pieces. Once I've got a better handle on it, I'll start posting again. **I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS FIC**. As a freebie, upcoming events include moving out, another mission with Suna, and the acquisition of their very own nickname.

On an unrelated note, Shino and Hinata's masks are based on my family's two Great Pyrenees (think a cross between a white wolf and a polar bear, or just google the breed). Their faces are completely white, except for the skin around the eyes, which is black. It makes them look like they're wearing heavy eyeliner and gives them quite effective puppy-dog eyes for 110lb dogs.

To those of you who expressed an interest in watching Hinata "drug Neji stupid", namely **Quiet Insomniac** et al, that's coming up very soon.

Next Chapter: Drawing and Entering


End file.
